Electricity demand now skyrocketing as more switch air conditioners on amid hot weather

The global electricity demand will probably grow at the quickest pace in almost 20 years this year. This is mainly because more air conditioners are being used now that the temperatures are rising, and there have been cases of strong heat waves. The International Energy Agency (IEA) warned in a new report.

The demand for electricity is also growing because electric propulsion is increasingly becoming a key element of our energy system. This can be seen in the increase in the use of electric cars. In addition, the rise in demand for Artificial Intelligence (AI) brings a big demand for electricity. A lot of computing power is needed for AI, and data centers also use a lot of electricity.

This enormous demand will probably mean that many polluting coal-fired power stations will remain necessary for the time being to supply sufficient electricity. The IEA said this will stabilize CO2 emissions from the global energy sector, with modest growth expected this year before falling again in 2025.

“It is encouraging to see that the share of clean energy in the electricity mix keeps rising, but this has to happen at a much faster tempo to meet the International energy and climate goal targets,” said IEA director Keisuke Sadamori.

India and China have been using more electricity. In those large Asian economies, the demand for power is expected to increase by around eight and six percent, respectively. For China, which is fighting to keep the speed of its economic growth under control, this does mean a slightly less strong increase in power demand than last year.

In the European Union, power demand decreased in the previous two years due to the sharp rise in energy prices after the Russian invasion of Ukraine. However, this year, the IEA predicts growth to be 1.7 percent. Demand in the United States also appears to rebound by 3 percent after a decline in 2023 due to mild weather conditions.