Guinea
GINGuinea has taken the carbon out of its electricity fast.
282 grams of CO2e a kilowatt-hour in 2014, 181 in 2024.
What this grid depends on
Three measures that say more about a country than how much power it makes. Open “what this means” on any of them if the term is new.
Cleaner than 8 in 10 grids worldwide.
What this means
How much planet-warming gas is released to make one unit of electricity. Two countries can generate exactly the same amount and one of them be ten times dirtier doing it. Lower is better.
Guinea generates almost exactly what it uses, with next to nothing crossing its borders.
What this means
Electricity can be sold across a border like anything else, through high-voltage lines connecting one country's grid to the next. Buying it in means leaning on a neighbour to keep the lights on. Selling it means generating more than the country needs.
Also true of Guinea
Hydro overtook oil on Guinea's grid in 2004.
Today hydro supplies 74% and oil 25%.
Guinea has cleaned up its grid faster than most people realise.
Low-carbon electricity went from 64% to 75% in 5 years.
Guinea’s neighbours
MaliMali has about as many people as Taiwan, and 51 times less electricity to share between them.
SenegalSenegal has cleaned up its grid faster than most people realise.
Cote d'IvoireCote d'Ivoire has about as many people as Saudi Arabia, and 40 times less electricity to share between them.
LiberiaHydro overtook oil on Liberia's grid in 2023.
Sierra LeoneSierra Leone has about as many people as Israel, and 355 times less electricity to share between them.
Figures are for 2024, the most recent year reported for Guinea. Generation shares are a percentage of electricity generated, not of energy used. How this is calculated.