Renewable Energy: Global Capacity by Region and Type

Renewable energy, particularly wind and solar, has been the fastest growing source for the global power generation market over the past decade.

According to IRENA, hydropower remains the largest source of renewables. However, wind and solar are both growing quickly and could each overtake hydro in the coming years.

Oceania saw the largest growth over the past year adding nearly 20% of total capacity to its renewable production. Solar and wind power both grew nearly 20% over the past year.

China is far and away the leader in terms of total renewable capacity. Being the world’s largest consumer of energy, it represents a smaller proportion of total energy consumptions than the rest of the top 10 countries.

Abbreviations:

MW – megawatt

GW – gigawatt

IRENA – The International Renewable Energy Agency

Sources:

https://www.irena.org/-/media/Files/IRENA/Agency/Publication/2021/Apr/IRENA_-RE_Capacity_Highlights_2021.pdf?la=en&hash=1E133689564BC40C2392E85026F71A0D7A9C0B91