Carbon annual · estimated data
The world's power-sector carbon intensity in 2017
Computed from "Monthly electricity data, Ember" (CC-BY-4.0) · 47 countries · generation-weighted, never averaged
World intensity, 2017
528gCO₂e/kWh
-8 vs 2016
Renewables share
25.9%
24.6% in 2016
Grids under 100g
4
countries ≥1 TWh below 100 gCO₂e/kWh
World intensity through the year
The biggest movers
Countries with full-year data and ≥5 TWh of generation, ranked by the change in their power sector's carbon intensity versus 2016.
Cleaned up fastest
| Country | gCO₂e/kWh | Δ YoY | Ren % |
|---|---|---|---|
| Denmark | 306 | -136 | 67.1 |
| Colombia | 121 | -109 | 87 |
| Latvia | 189 | -70 | 69.5 |
| Chile | 461 | -49 | 42.9 |
| Ireland | 435 | -41 | 28.3 |
| Netherlands | 503 | -39 | 18.8 |
| Ukraine | 369 | -37 | 6 |
| Great Britain | 310 | -36 | 26.7 |
Moved the other way
| Country | gCO₂e/kWh | Δ YoY | Ren % |
|---|---|---|---|
| Portugal | 460 | +95 | 39.3 |
| Spain | 328 | +54 | 34.5 |
| Italy | 387 | +29 | 36.4 |
| Romania | 397 | +28 | 37.6 |
| Taiwan | 686 | +26 | 3.4 |
Watch this decade play out on the globe. The terminal's carbon story animates every month since 2015 across the whole planet — measured European zones and Ember-estimated world, honestly labeled.
▶ Play the carbon storySource: "Monthly electricity data, Ember" (CC-BY-4.0), ingested continuously into the Voltcast production database. Intensities are generation-weighted: Σ emissions ÷ Σ generation across all tracked countries — a country average would flatter small clean grids and hide the giants. Monthly statistical data, labeled estimated wherever it appears in our products. Cite as "Voltcast Research, voltcast.com/research/global-carbon-2017".