Oil, Coal and Natural Gas Still Account for 83 Percent of Global Energy Consumption

The global hunger for energy is still largely satisfied by fossil energy sources, even though renewables are gaining in importance.

 

This is evident from new figures from the German Bundesanstalt für Geowissenschaften und Rohstoffe (BGR), an advisory body to the German government.

Figures from the BGR – which date from the end of 2020 – show that the corona crisis has caused a temporary decline of more than 4 percent of global energy consumption and a 7 percent decrease in CO2 emissions. In the meantime, the energy demand has risen again, resulting in large price increases in Europe.

At the end of 2020, fossil energy sources such as oil, coal and natural gas still cover 83 percent of global primary energy consumption, according to the BGR figures.

At the same time, the share of renewables is increasing. With 261 gigawatts of additional capacity worldwide in 2020 – almost 45 percent of which from China – a new record for renewable energy was reached.