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Summary
Fossil fuels still account for over 60% of global electricity generation. Experts warn of a "discouraging trend" but part of the solution might come from "local energy communities": integrated hubs, optimizing the synergies between different energy vectors and thus cutting CO2 emissions and costs
A strong increase in coal-fired electricity generation and the biggest ever year-on-year increase in global electricity demand caused the global power sector's CO2 emissions to reach an all-time high in 2021. With the energy transition on track, electricity is at the heart of modern economies, and as demand grows rapidly, its share of consumption is set to rise over 50% by 2050. According to figures by the International Energy Agency (IEA), unabated fossil fuels still account for over 60% of total global electricity generation, but to meet the Net Zero emission target, this share needs to drop to 26% by 2030. On their website, IEA warns of "mostly discouraging developments": "Current trends are not on track with Net Zero Scenario milestones, which see power sector emissions fall by more than 7% per year to 2030. The pathway is narrow but remains achievable."
Experts agree that decarbonizing the power sector is a fundamental step to reduce emissions and they suggest that a wide range of strategies should "advance holistically" and "capitalize on synergies among sectors". Such an approach is one of the pillars of Beauvent's strategy. Second largest in Belgium, the energy cooperative produces solar and wind energy, manages a district heating project in Ostend, and also focuses on the so-called CHP: "Cogeneration Heat Power is a technology based on natural gas and converts it into other energy vectors," explains its general manager, Frederic Haghebaert. "We have gas-powered motors that generate and supply both electricity and heat to our industrial customers. Some CO2 is therefore still there, but CHP is interesting because the electricity and the heat are produced much more efficiently than if they had been generated separately."
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