Greenland
GRLGreenland has cleaned up its grid faster than most people realise.
Low-carbon electricity went from 58% to 83% in 20 years.
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.
Greenland 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.
Greenland’s neighbours
IcelandIceland uses more electricity per person than any country in the world.
CanadaCanada uses far more electricity per person than countries at its income level.
NorwayNorway is second in the world for electricity used per person.
United KingdomWind overtook nuclear on United Kingdom's grid in 2019.
SwedenHydro overtook nuclear on Sweden's grid in 2020.
Figures are for 2024, the most recent year reported for Greenland. Generation shares are a percentage of electricity generated, not of energy used. How this is calculated.