Wind and solar produced 10% of global electricity in H1 2020

Wind turbines and solar panels produced a record 10% of the world's electricity in the first half of 2020 as coal-power declined, but steeper change is needed to meet targets set under the 2015 Paris climate agreement, a report said yesterday.  Generation from wind and solar rose by 14% during the first half of 2020 compared with the same period in 2019 while output from coal plants fell by 8.3%, the report by independent climate think tank Ember said. Overall electricity demand fell by 3% during the six months due to coronavirus lockdowns, the report said. Despite the drop, coal plants still produced 33% of the world's electricity during the period. Europe and the UK saw the largest contributions from wind and solar, at 21% and 33% respectively during the first half of the year, with China at 10% and the United States at 12%, the report said. Ember's report examined data from 48 countries which make up 83% of global electricity production.