Electricity's rising share of industrial energy
Electricity made up about 23% of global industrial energy use in 2022, up from roughly 19% in 2010. Industry is steadily electrifying — a slow but consistent shift that ties more of its energy cost, and its carbon footprint, to the power grid.
Source: IEA — Energy efficiency and industry analysis (2022)
What it means
As industry electrifies, two things follow: electricity bills become a larger share of the energy budget, and a plant's carbon intensity increasingly tracks the grid's. That makes both motor-system efficiency and the timing of electricity use — demand management — more valuable every year.
Context
Heavy industry has historically run on fuel — coal, gas, oil for heat and steam. The gradual rise of electricity's share reflects electrification of process heat, more electric drives, and the early stages of decarbonisation. The shift is unspectacular year to year but cumulative, and it changes where the financial and carbon leverage in a plant sits.
Related charts
Where industrial electricity goes
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Renewables' share of global electricity
Related topics
How to Reduce Industrial Energy Costs: Practical Quick Wins · Demand Response · Net Zero · Specific Energy Consumption (SEC)
Relevant to: Chemicals · Food Processing · Steel & Metals