“Renewable energy now accounts for a third of global power capacity”

Source: Renew Economy

“The International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA) announced [on Apr 2, 2019] that 171GW of new renewable energy capacity was installed in 2018, a 7.9% annual increase, and helping renewable energy into a position to provide a third of global power capacity.”

“Solar energy saw the biggest increase again in 2018, adding 94 GW of new capacity, an increase of 24% – dominated by Asia which saw growth of 64 GW, led by China, India, Japan, and South Korea. Other major increases in 2018 were seen in the United States, which installed 8.4 GW of new capacity, Australia, which added 3.8 GW, and Germany, adding 3.6 GW.”

“The wind energy sector installed 49 GW of new capacity, an increase of 10%. China and the United States continued to dominate here, installing 20 GW and 7 GW respectively, while other countries which saw increases of over 1 GW included Brazil, France, Germany, India, and the United Kingdom.”

“Hydropower capacity increased by 21 GW, an increase of only 2%, while bioenergy increased by 6 GW, an increase of 5%. Overall, hydropower accounts for the largest share of renewable energy capacity around the globe, with a total of 1,172 GW – approximately half of the globe’s renewable energy capacity – followed by wind energy with 564 GW and solar energy with 480 GW.”

Read more at: Renewable energy now accounts for a third of global power capacity. Renew Economy, April 3, 2019.