Summer 2024's Record Heatwaves Nearly Doubled Electricity Demand As AC Use Shot Up: Report
High power demand drove more coal generation in China, India, and gas generation in the US. In India, coal met 70% of the year-on-year demand increase in May
As India awaits another scorching summer of searing heatwaves, a new report led by energy think tank Ember shows that 2024’s extreme heatwaves drove a huge surge in electricity demand, doubling it in some months, in three of the world’s largest electricity markets—India, China, and the United States.
Experts highlight that the strain put by increasing temperatures reflects the growing challenge of extreme weather on the biggest power systems worldwide.
related stories
The demand for air cooling soared, causing higher electricity consumption. According to the report, in May 2024, air cooling needs accounted for one-third of India’s year-on-year electricity demand increase, driven by record-breaking heatwaves and a 1°C rise in average temperatures.
From April to June 2024, when heatwaves were particularly severe across the plains, electricity demand in India was 10.8% higher than in the same period last year. This was primarily due to more cooling demand, especially from air conditioning during the summer. Although the increase was less pronounced compared with the US and China, experts say this was most likely due to unmet air cooling needs in India and relatively more demand from other sectors.
India experienced its hottest year on record in 2024, and the above-normal temperatures continue to influence the weather, with February ending as the warmest ever for India since 1901.
Triggers more fossil fuel consumption
As power demand soared, it also put strain on the grid, with countries turning to more coal consumption, while the US additionally relied on gas to ease the pressure. In India, clean energy fulfilled 19% of the increased power demand in May, while coal met 70% and gas covered the rest.
The impact of heatwaves was strong in the US too, with average temperatures rising to 23.8°C in June, the highest for the month in the past decade. In that month, coal generation grew by 6.4% year-on-year and gas generation by 4.6% year-on-year, noticeably higher than the 2024 annual average growth.
In China, the average temperatures in August and September 2024 were the highest recorded for these months in the last 10 years. At least, 59% of China’s 2024 annual coal generation growth happened in just August and September.
Urgent need to boost energy efficiency, renewables
As climate change progresses, driven mainly by fossil fuel burning, heatwaves are likely to become more frequent and more intense, affecting many countries. Combining this with rising use of air conditioning—especially in the Global South, where rapid urbanisation and extreme heat are driving a surge in AC ownership—electricity demand is set for even sharper spikes, said experts.
“2024 was the hottest year on record, with heatwaves causing massive spikes in demand—and the pressure will only grow as the planet warms. The solution is twofold: scale up efficient AC adoption to cut costs and ease peak demand, and invest in clean, flexible power to keep grids resilient as extreme weather intensifies. The crisis is accelerating—our response must, too," says Kostantsa Rangelova, electricity analyst at Ember.
The report recommended the urgent need to boost the sale of more energy-efficient air conditioners and rooftop solar as well as improve retail pricing, which can offer households and businesses the potential to generate cheaper, cleaner electricity and help reduce pressure on the grids during high heat periods.
“Allowing these demand spikes to be met with coal and gas generation will increase carbon emissions," the report warned.
- Location :
- First Published: