Solar and wind energy already generate enough electricity to power the global motor vehicle industry, if the global gasoline fleet were entirely electric, a new study by Ember has found.
According to Ember, global solar and wind generation reached 4,625 TWh in 2024.
At the same time, global gasoline demand for motor vehicles equated to around 3,370 TWh of usable energy, given the low efficiency of internal combustion engines. Electric cars, meanwhile, are around 84% more efficient than traditional ICE vehicles.
Energy independence
Ember‘s study coincided with the IEA’s Summit on the Future of Energy Security, and highlighted how solar and wind energy are already making significant contributions to reducing reliance on imported fossil fuels and improving energy independence.
According to the study, some three quarters (74%) of the world’s population lives in countries that are net importers of fossil fuels, with many major economies relying heavily on imported fossil fuels to meet their energy needs – Japan meets 87% of its total energy demand through fossil imports. In contrast,
Allied to this, the study also noted that the import cost of a solar panel effectively ‘pays itself back’ within just one year compared to importing gas for electricity generation.
As of 2024, the cost of importing one gigawatt of solar panels was around $100 million, which in turn has the capacity to generate 1.5 terawatt hours of electricity annually – on an ongoing basis. Generating the same amount of electricity by burning imported gas would also cost $100 million each year.
Therefore, over a 30-year lifespan, a solar panel could thus the equivalent of 30 years’ worth of gas import costs, notwithstanding ongoing installation and maintenance costs.
‘A fast upward path’
‘Solar and wind are on a fast upward path, having tripled in just the last seven years, meeting 15% of global electricity generation in 2024,’ Ember noted.
‘The fact that wind and solar already generate enough energy to replace global gasoline demand underscores their potential to displace fossil fuels at scale – not just in electricity, but across the entire energy system. As clean electricity and electric vehicles continue to scale rapidly, the world has a clear opportunity to increase energy independence and bring down energy costs.’ Read more here.
