We just need to ensure the electricity is coming from Solar, Wind and other green sources wirh huge battery farms to smooth out the bumps. The incumbent businesses will fight tooth and nail as they know once fitted it's good for 30 years of virtually free energy
It is important to point out that fossil fuels generates 60% of global electricity so it is a bit deceptive to say that electricity is replacing fossil fuels. In many cases electricity generated by fossil fuels is replacing direct combustion of fossil fuels.
This article makes several references to “electricity replacing/displacing fossil fuels.” And the graphic in the first article in the series clearly shows that nations that are rapidly electrifying do NOT generate their electricity mainly from solar and wind. It is overwhelmingly from fossil fuels (particularly coal) and hydro.
You mean this one? If they are above the y=x line then they are rapidly electrifying *solely* from solar and wind.. below the line, a mixture of wind solar and others and on the y=0 no wind and solar. I think it’s more of a mixed bag than you suggest albeit Indonesia and Bangladesh do stand out as not electrifying with wind and solar. https://ember-energy.org/app/uploads/2025/06/many-building-renewables-few-electrostates.png
Yes, I am talking about this graphic, but that graphic only displays percentage change. It does not display the overall percentage of electricity already generated from fossil fuels, nuclear and hydro (which is far more important).
I am pointing out that all the nations that are electrifying fastest already generate their electricity overwhelmingly from fossil fuels, nuclear, and hydro (not shown on graphic, but easily researched).
It is not a "mixed bag" at all. All the leading electrifiers (China, Vietnam, Cambodia, Bangladesh, Indonesia, and Mexico) already generate the vast majority of their electricity from fossil fuels, nuclear, and hydro. This is what enabled the electrification. If their electrical system were based on solar and wind, it would be far more difficult and costly.
There is a clear trade-off between increasing solar/wind and electrifying the entire energy system.
This is like one of those zoom out new articles I love, where instead of focusing on today or next year, what happened in the last decade, 25, 50, 100 years. How will the energy system look in 2040? What will be the sudden and unexpected changes?
We just need to ensure the electricity is coming from Solar, Wind and other green sources wirh huge battery farms to smooth out the bumps. The incumbent businesses will fight tooth and nail as they know once fitted it's good for 30 years of virtually free energy
Very interesting article.
It is important to point out that fossil fuels generates 60% of global electricity so it is a bit deceptive to say that electricity is replacing fossil fuels. In many cases electricity generated by fossil fuels is replacing direct combustion of fossil fuels.
Here’s a general breakdown:
Coal: ~35% of global electricity
Natural Gas: ~23%,
Oil: ~2%
The remaining 40% comes from:
Renewables (solar, wind, etc.): ~15%
Hydro: 15%
Nuclear: ~10%
The first article in the series covers generation
This article makes several references to “electricity replacing/displacing fossil fuels.” And the graphic in the first article in the series clearly shows that nations that are rapidly electrifying do NOT generate their electricity mainly from solar and wind. It is overwhelmingly from fossil fuels (particularly coal) and hydro.
You mean this one? If they are above the y=x line then they are rapidly electrifying *solely* from solar and wind.. below the line, a mixture of wind solar and others and on the y=0 no wind and solar. I think it’s more of a mixed bag than you suggest albeit Indonesia and Bangladesh do stand out as not electrifying with wind and solar. https://ember-energy.org/app/uploads/2025/06/many-building-renewables-few-electrostates.png
Yes, I am talking about this graphic, but that graphic only displays percentage change. It does not display the overall percentage of electricity already generated from fossil fuels, nuclear and hydro (which is far more important).
I am pointing out that all the nations that are electrifying fastest already generate their electricity overwhelmingly from fossil fuels, nuclear, and hydro (not shown on graphic, but easily researched).
It is not a "mixed bag" at all. All the leading electrifiers (China, Vietnam, Cambodia, Bangladesh, Indonesia, and Mexico) already generate the vast majority of their electricity from fossil fuels, nuclear, and hydro. This is what enabled the electrification. If their electrical system were based on solar and wind, it would be far more difficult and costly.
There is a clear trade-off between increasing solar/wind and electrifying the entire energy system.
An idea …. https://substack.com/@thetimetravellers/note/p-179315682?r=69wi1d&utm_medium=ios&utm_source=notes-share-action
This is like one of those zoom out new articles I love, where instead of focusing on today or next year, what happened in the last decade, 25, 50, 100 years. How will the energy system look in 2040? What will be the sudden and unexpected changes?
What electricity replaced was the leather bands used to distribute fossil fuel energy throughout the workplace. Which still used fossil fuels.