Over the same period, this was faster than the average annual growth of coal (1.6 per cent), crude oil (1.5 per cent) and natural gas (1.2 per cent). The growth of modern renewables from 1990 to 2008 was much slower than historical expansions of coal, at 5 per cent per year from 1850 to 1870, oil extraction, at 8 per cent per year from 1880 to 1900, and natural gas production, at 8 per cent per year from 1920 to 1940. Modern renewables (half of which was wind power) accounted for 3 per cent of global electricity production in 2008. Solutions that do not build on the prevailing prime movers and existing energy infrastructure will require decades to make significant dents in the primary energy mix.