According to data recently released by the International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA), new renewable power accounted for 72 per cent of all power expansion last year. 

Renewable generation capacity by energy source

Renewable generation capacity increased by 176 GW (+7.4%) in 2019. Solar energy continued to lead capacity expansion, with an increase of 98 GW (+20%), followed by wind energy with 59 GW (+10%). Hydropower capacity increased by 12 GW (+1%) and bioenergy by 6 GW (+5%). Geothermal energy increased by just under 700 MW.

Solar and wind energy continued to dominate renewable capacity expansion, jointly accounting for 90% of all net renewable additions in 2019. However, this unusually high share may reflect the very low expansion of hydropower last year.

IRENA’s Renewable Capacity Statistics 2020 shows that renewable energy capacity expanded by 7.6% last year with Asia dominating growth and accounting for 54% of total additions. The renewable energy sector added 176 gigawatts (GW) of generating capacity globally in 2019, marginally lower than the (revised) 179 GW added in 2018.  

Renewables accounted for at least 70% of total capacity expansion in almost all regions in 2019, other than in Africa and the Middle East, where they represented 52% and 26% of net additions, respectively. The additions took the renewable share of all global power capacity to 34.7%, up from 33.3% at the end of 2018. Non-renewable capacity expansion globally followed long-term trends in 2019, with net growth in Asia, the Middle East and Africa, and net decommissioning in Europe and North America.

Highlights by technology:

Hydropower
Growth in hydro was unusually low in 2019, possibly because some large projects missed their expected completion dates. As in many previous years, China and Brazil accounted for most of the expansion, each adding more than 4 GW.

Wind energy
Wind performed particularly well in 2019, expanding by nearly 60 GW. China and the United States continued to dominate, with increases of 26 GW and 9 GW respectively.

Solar energy
Asia continued to dominate global solar capacity expansion with a 56 GW increase, but this was lower than in 2018. Other major increases were in the United States, Australia, Spain, Ukraine and Germany. 

Bio energy
Expansion of bioenergy capacity remained modest in 2019. China accounted for half of all new capacity (+3.3 GW). Germany, Italy, Japan and Turkey also saw some expansion.

Geothermal energy
Geothermal power capacity grew by 682 MW in 2019, slightly more than in 2018. Again, Turkey led with an expansion of 232 MW, followed by Indonesia (+185 MW) and Kenya (+160 MW).

Off-grid electricity
Off-grid capacity grew by 160 MW (+2%) to reach 8.6 GW in 2019.

Bioenergy accounts for 40% of off-grid capacity, but it is growing relatively slowly. In 2019, offgrid solar PV increased by 112 MW and hydropower grew by 31 MW, compared to growth of only 17 MW for bioenergy.

Renewable power capacity growth

Renewable generation capacity increased by 176 GW (+7.4%) in 2019. Solar energy continued to lead capacity expansion, with an increase of 98 GW (+20%), followed by wind energy with 59 GW (+10%). Hydropower capacity increased by 12 GW (+1%) and bioenergy by 6 GW (+5%). Geothermal energy increased by just under 700 MW.

Solar and wind energy continued to dominate renewable capacity expansion, jointly accounting for 90% of all net renewable additions in 2019. However, this unusually high share may reflect the very low expansion of hydropower last year.

Renewable generation capacity by region

For the complete dataset see: IRENA (2020), Renewable capacity statistics 2020, available at: www.irena.org/publications.

Asia accounted for 54% of new capacity in 2019, increasing its renewable capacity by 95.5 GW to reach 1.12 TW (44% of the global total). Capacity in Europe and North America expanded by 35 GW (+6.6%) and 22 GW (+6.0%), respectively. Oceania and the Middle East were the fastest growing regions (+18.4% and +12.6% respectively), although their share of global capacity is small. Africa has a similar amount of renewable capacity, but this only increased by 2.0 GW (+4.3%). Compared to 2018, capacity growth in Asia and Africa was somewhat lower than in 2019, but higher in Europe and North America.

Highlights by technology

Hydropower: Growth in hydro was unusually low in 2019, possibly because some large projects missed their expected completion dates. As in many previous years, China and Brazil accounted for most of the expansion, each adding more than 4 GW.

Wind energy: Wind performed particularly well in 2019, expanding by nearly 60 GW. China and the United States continued to dominate, with increases of 26 GW and 9 GW respectively (higher than the year before). Another eight countries expanded their wind capacity by more than 1 GW each.

Solar energy: Asia continued to dominate global solar capacity expansion with a 56 GW increase (about 60% of the total in 2019), but this was lower than in 2018. China, India, Japan, Republic of Korea and Viet Nam were the countries with most new capacity in 2019. Other major increases were in the United States, Australia, Spain, Ukraine and Germany.

Spain, Ukraine and Viet Nam stood out as places with notably more expansion that in previous years. Chinese Taipei, Mexico and the United Arab Emirates also added more than 1 GW of solar in 2019. Bioenergy: Expansion of bioenergy capacity remained modest in 2019. China accounted for half of all new capacity (+3.3 GW). Germany, Italy, Japan and Turkey also saw some expansion.

Geothermal energy: Geothermal power capacity grew by 682 MW in 2019, slightly more than in 2018. Again, Turkey led with an expansion of 232 MW, followed by Indonesia (+185 MW) and Kenya (+160 MW).

Off-grid electricity: Off-grid capacity grew by 160 MW (+2%) to reach 8.6 GW in 2019. Bioenergy accounts for 40% of off-grid capacity, but it is growing relatively slowly. In 2019, offgrid solar PV increased by 112 MW and hydropower grew by 31 MW, compared to growth of only 17 MW for bioenergy.

Developments in off-grid solar PV capacity continue to reflect a mix of contrasting underlying trends. Retailers of solar lights and home systems are moving into new markets and consumers in some existing markets are switching to larger systems. However, mini-grids continue to face challenges raising funding, while grid expansion is reducing demand for off-grid power in some places.

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