The leading countries for installed renewable energy in 2024 were China, the United States, and Brazil. China was the leader in renewable energy installations, with a capacity of around 1,827 gigawatts. The U.S., in second place, had a capacity of around 428 gigawatts. Renewable energy is an important step in addressing climate change and mitigating the consequences of this phenomenon. Renewable energy capacity and productionRenewable power capacity is defined as the maximum generating capacity of installations that use renewable sources to generate electricity. The share of renewable energy in the world’s power production has increased in recent years, surpassing 30 percent in 2023. Renewable energy consumption varies from country to country. The leading countries for renewable energy consumption are China, the United States, and Canada.Renewable energy sourcesThere are various sources of renewable energy used globally, including bioenergy, solar energy, hydropower, and wind energy, to name a few. Globally, China and Brazil are the top two countries in terms of generating the most energy through hydropower. Regarding solar power, China, the United States, and Japan boast the highest installed capacities worldwide.

This table expresses the use of renewable energy as gross final consumption of energy. Figures are presented in an absolute way, as well as related to the total energy use in the Netherlands. The total gross final energy consumption in the Netherlands (the denominator used to calculate the percentage of renewable energy per ‘Energy sources and techniques’) can be found in the table as ‘Total, including non-renewables’ and Energy application ‘Total’. The gross final energy consumption for the energy applications ‘Electricity’ and ‘Heat’ are also available. With these figures the percentages of the different energy sources and applications can be calculated; these values are not available in this table. The gross final energy consumption for ‘Transport’ is not available because of the complexity to calculate this. More information on this can be found in the yearly publication ‘Hernieuwbare energie in Nederland’.

Renewable energy is energy from wind, hydro power, the sun, the earth, heat from outdoor air and biomass. This is energy from natural processes that is replenished constantly.

The figures are broken down into energy source/technique and into energy application (electricity, heat and transport).

This table focuses on the share of renewable energy according to the EU Renewable Energy Directive. Under this directive, countries can apply an administrative transfer by purchasing renewable energy from countries that have consumed more renewable energy than the agreed target. For 2020, the Netherlands has implemented such a transfer by purchasing renewable energy from Denmark. This transfer has been made visible in this table as a separate energy source/technique and two totals are included; a total with statistical transfer and a total without statistical transfer.

Figures for 2020 and before were calculated based on RED I; in accordance with Eurostat these figures will not be modified anymore. Inconsistencies with other tables undergoing updates may occur.

Data available from: 1990

Status of the figures: This table contains definite figures up to and including 2022, figures for 2023 are revised provisional figures and figures for 2024 are provisional.

Changes as of July 2025: Compiling figures on solar electricity took more time than scheduled. Consequently, not all StatLine tables on energy contain the most recent 2024 data on production for solar electricity. This table contains the outdated data from June 2025. The most recent figures are 5 percent higher for 2024 solar electricity production. These figures are in these two tables (in Dutch): - StatLine - Zonnestroom; vermogen en vermogensklasse, bedrijven en woningen, regio - StatLine - Hernieuwbare energie; zonnestroom, windenergie, RES-regio Next update is scheduled in November 2025. From that moment all figures will be fully consistent again. We apologize for the inconvenience.

Changes as of june 2025: Figures for 2024 have been added.

Changes as of January 2025 Renewable cooling has been added as Energy source and technique from 2021 onwards, in accordance with RED II. Figures for 2020 and earlier follow RED I definitions, renewable cooling isn’t a part of these definitions.
The energy application “Heat” has been renamed to “Heating and cooling”, in accordance with RED II definitions. RED II is the current Renewable Energy Directive which entered into force in 2021

Changes as of November 15th 2024 Figures for 2021-2023 have been adjusted. 2022 is now definitive, 2023 stays revised provisional. Because of new insights for windmills regarding own electricity use and capacity, figures on 2021 have been revised.

Changes as of March 2024: Figures of the total energy applications of biogas, co-digestion of manure and other biogas have been restored for 2021 and 2022. The final energy consumption of non-compliant biogas (according to RED II) was wrongly included in the total final consumption of these types of biogas. Figures of total biogas, total biomass and total renewable energy were not influenced by this and therefore not adjusted.

When will new figures be published? Provisional figures on the gross final consumption of renewable energy in broad outlines for the previous year are published each year in June. Revised provisional figures for the previous year appear each year in June.

In November all figures on the consumption of renewable energy in the previous year will be published. These figures remain revised provisional, definite figures appear in November two years after the reporting year. Most important (expected) changes between revised provisional figures in November and definite figures a year later are the figures on solar photovoltaic energy. The figures on the share of total energy consumption in the Netherlands could also still be changed by the availability of adjusted figures on total energy consumption.

As of February 2025, several countries across the European Union had established ambitious renewable power targets. Estonia and Denmark plan to achieve almost *** percent renewable electricity generation by 2030. In contrast, Poland's renewable energy targets for that year were just over ** percent. According to the EU Renewable Energy Directive, countries in the European Union must reach a share of at least **** percent of renewables in their total energy consumption, although the directive encourages to aim for ** percent. Renewable energy pipeline in Europe The further deployment of renewable technologies in the region is essential to achieve these targets. As of February 2025, prospective wind energy projects in Europe’s renewable pipeline amounted to more than *** gigawatts, although from this, only ** megawatts were already in the construction stage. Northern Europe accounted for most of the wind energy planned capacity in the region. Regarding solar, Europe had a utility-scale prospective capacity of *** gigawatts, with Southern Europe accounting for most of planned installations.
Europe’s wind and solar outlook In the next years, wind and solar installations are forecast to more than double in the European Union. It is estimated that in 2030, the region’s solar capacity will amount to some *** gigawatts, growing from the *** gigawatts operating at the end of 2023. For wind, forecasts point to an installed capacity of roughly *** gigawatts by 2030. Approximately ** percent of this capacity will correspond to offshore installations.

Germany led Europe in renewable energy consumption, with *****exajoules consumed in 2024, up from *****exajoules in 2015. *******and *******************followed as the second and third-largest consumers, highlighting a broader trend of increased renewable energy use across the continent. Renewable energy production and capacity Germany's dominance in renewable energy consumption is mirrored in its production and capacity figures. In 2023, Germany's renewable energy production amounted to approximately *** terawatt-hours, far surpassing other European nations. The country also boasted the largest installed renewable energy capacity in Europe, with almost ****gigawatts as of 2024. This substantial capacity allows Germany to meet its high renewable energy consumption needs and contributes to its leadership in the sector. European renewable energy landscape The broader European renewable energy landscape shows a promising growth. Total renewable energy consumption in Europe reached about ** exajoules in 2023, marking a nine percent increase from the previous year. Wind power has emerged as the primary renewable source in the European Union's electricity mix since 2017, accounting for over ** percent of the EU's renewable mix in 2023.

The average for 2022 based on 189 countries was 17.69 million kilowatts. The highest value was in China: 1156.13 million kilowatts and the lowest value was in Bermuda: 0 million kilowatts. The indicator is available from 1980 to 2023. Below is a chart for all countries where data are available.

China dominated the renewable energy consumption globally and in the Asia-Pacific region, with the country consuming **** exajoules in 2024. This level far surpasses that of other major economies in the region, including India and Japan, which consumed **** and **** exajoules, respectively. Leading renewable energy markets China, India, Japan, and Vietnam are among the leading renewable energy markets in the Asia-Pacific (APAC) region, with increasing investments in the development of renewable energy. Moreover, Australia has focused particularly on the development of solar and wind energy, with around ** percent of its electricity coming from solar power and about ** percent of its power generation coming from wind. Australia has the largest share of wind and solar power in the electricity mix among APAC countries. China has continued to see the largest investments globally in energy transition, while India is also attracting significant investments. Southeast Asian markets have emerged as potential renewable energy markets, with Vietnam making the most progress in capacity expansion. However, these emerging markets face persistent energy infrastructure, policy, and financing challenges that must be addressed in order to speed up the transition to clean energy. The dual challenge: rising energy demand and carbon emissions in Asia-Pacific Despite these advances in renewable energy, APAC is still heavily reliant on fossil fuels to meet its rapidly growing energy demand from expanding cities and industries. Coal still accounts for over half of APAC’s power generation, with China consuming the largest share. Unsurprisingly, the region remains the world’s largest energy-related carbon dioxide emitter. China, in particular, is the leading source of CO2 emissions from fuel combustion. In 2023, the country emitted nearly **** billion metric tons of carbon dioxide equivalent, exceeding the combined emissions of the United States, India, Russia, and Japan. This situation underscores the complex challenge facing rapidly developing economies: how to sustain economic growth, meet rising energy needs, and improve living standards while curbing carbon emissions and ensuring a just and inclusive energy transition.

In 2024, renewable energy consumption in China reached *****exajoules, more than any other country in the world. Renewable sources such as geothermal, wind, solar, biomass, and waste were included in this measurement, while cross-border electricity trade was not taken into account. Hydropower in China China is by far the leading consumer of hydropower, with over ***** times the consumption of other leading countries such as Canada and Brazil. Several of the world’s hydroelectric dams with the highest generating capacity are located in China, many of which were constructed in the past two decades. The **************** on the Yangtze River was completed in 2012 to become the largest in the world. Energy consumption in the United States After China, the United States was the second-highest consumer of renewable energy in the world. Both countries also consumed the most primary energy overall. The United States strives to achieve energy independence in order to reduce imports of foreign energy sources. As renewable energy gains momentum in a fossil-fuel dominated industry, renewable production in the United States has slightly exceeded the country’s consumption in recent years, and additionally, have both more than doubled since 1975.

This scatter chart displays birth rate (per 1,000 people) against renewable energy consumption (% of total final energy consumption) in South America. The data is about countries.

This scatter chart displays renewable energy consumption (% of total final energy consumption) against birth rate (per 1,000 people) in Oceania. The data is about countries.

In 2024, renewable sources accounted for ***** percent of the electricity generated in the United States. The share of renewables in the country's electricity generation has been continually increasing for over a decade. In addition, renewables accounted for over ** percent of the power capacity additions in the U.S. in the same year. Renewable energy sources in the U.S. Wind power was the leading renewable energy source in the country, accounting for over ** percent of the total electricity supply in the U.S., followed by hydropower. Renewable energy generation in the U.S. amounted to *** terawatt-hours in 2023. The growth of renewables in the U.S. According to a recent forecast, the renewable electricity capacity in the U.S. is projected to triple between 2022 and 2040 in a reference scenario, although this figure could be higher in the case of low renewable cost. In 2023, onshore wind and solar photovoltaic energy had some of the lowest levelized cost of electricity in the country.

The leading countries for installed renewable energy in 2024 were China, the United States, and Brazil. China was the leader in renewable energy installations, with a capacity of around 1,827 gigawatts. The U.S., in second place, had a capacity of around 428 gigawatts. Renewable energy is an important step in addressing climate change and mitigating the consequences of this phenomenon. Renewable energy capacity and productionRenewable power capacity is defined as the maximum generating capacity of installations that use renewable sources to generate electricity. The share of renewable energy in the world’s power production has increased in recent years, surpassing 30 percent in 2023. Renewable energy consumption varies from country to country. The leading countries for renewable energy consumption are China, the United States, and Canada.Renewable energy sourcesThere are various sources of renewable energy used globally, including bioenergy, solar energy, hydropower, and wind energy, to name a few. Globally, China and Brazil are the top two countries in terms of generating the most energy through hydropower. Regarding solar power, China, the United States, and Japan boast the highest installed capacities worldwide.

In 2024, Hungary was the leading country in solar energy penetration, with solar power accounting for almost ** percent of the country's electricity mix that year. Luxembourg followed with a share of solar of more than ** percent. On average, the share of electricity generation from solar energy worldwide was roughly *** percent in 2024. In comparison with the previous year, figures increased by more than *** percentage point. Solar energy generation worldwide In total, solar energy production reached *** petawatt hours in 2023, increasing by some *** gigawatt hours when compared to the previous year. Solar energy production was the highest in China, which generated over *** terawatt hours of solar power in 2024. The United States was the country with the second-highest solar energy production that year, with some *** terawatt hours generated. China’s solar photovoltaic industry Aside for being the largest solar energy producer worldwide, China accounts for the largest production of solar energy components. In 2023, the country was responsible for almost ** percent of the world's solar photovoltaic module production. Most of the largest solar component manufacturers worldwide are based in China. For instance, photovoltaic company LONGi was the leading solar ingot and wafer manufacturer worldwide, reaching a production output of *** gigawatts in 2023.

In 2024, Germany accounted for the largest production of renewable energy in Europe, with approximately *** terawatt-hours of energy generated. Turkey was the second-largest producer, with some *** terawatt-hours less than Germany. In both countries, renewable energy production increased in 2024 compared to 2023. Germany and Turkey were also among the largest renewable energy consumers in Europe in 2023, while the largest renewable energy capacity was installed in Germany.

In 2024, the installed renewable energy capacity in the Nordic countries surpassed *** gigawatts, recording a year-over-year growth of *** percent. Sweden had the highest renewable capacity at the time, with ***** gigawatts. Norway ranked second, with some ***** gigawatts. Despite having the lowest renewable capacity within Nordic countries, Iceland has the highest share of renewables in electricity generation. For over a decade, renewables have accounted for 100 percent of the country's electricity generation.

This scatter chart displays renewable energy consumption (% of total final energy consumption) against birth rate (per 1,000 people) in Eastern Asia. The data is about countries.

This scatter chart displays renewable energy consumption (% of total final energy consumption) against suicide mortality rate (per 100,000 population) in Europe. The data is about countries.

Goal 7Ensure access to affordable, reliable, sustainable and modern energy for allTarget 7.1: By 2030, ensure universal access to affordable, reliable and modern energy servicesIndicator 7.1.1: Proportion of population with access to electricityEG_ACS_ELEC: Proportion of population with access to electricity, by urban/rural (%)Indicator 7.1.2: Proportion of population with primary reliance on clean fuels and technologyEG_EGY_CLEAN: Proportion of population with primary reliance on clean fuels and technology (%)Target 7.2: By 2030, increase substantially the share of renewable energy in the global energy mixIndicator 7.2.1: Renewable energy share in the total final energy consumptionEG_FEC_RNEW: Renewable energy share in the total final energy consumption (%)Target 7.3: By 2030, double the global rate of improvement in energy efficiencyIndicator 7.3.1: Energy intensity measured in terms of primary energy and GDPEG_EGY_PRIM: Energy intensity level of primary energy (megajoules per constant 2011 purchasing power parity GDP)Target 7.a: By 2030, enhance international cooperation to facilitate access to clean energy research and technology, including renewable energy, energy efficiency and advanced and cleaner fossil-fuel technology, and promote investment in energy infrastructure and clean energy technologyIndicator 7.a.1: International financial flows to developing countries in support of clean energy research and development and renewable energy production, including in hybrid systemsEG_IFF_RANDN: International financial flows to developing countries in support of clean energy research and development and renewable energy production, including in hybrid systems (millions of constant United States dollars)Target 7.b: By 2030, expand infrastructure and upgrade technology for supplying modern and sustainable energy services for all in developing countries, in particular least developed countries, small island developing States and landlocked developing countries, in accordance with their respective programmes of supportIndicator 7.b.1: Installed renewable energy-generating capacity in developing countries (in watts per capita)EG_EGY_RNEW: Installed renewable electricity-generating capacity (watts per capita)

As of 2023, Iran boasted the largest renewable energy production capacity in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA). Iran produced nearly twice as many megawatts as Egypt, and almost four times that of Morocco, the countries with the next highest capacities in the region. Among the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) countries, the United Arab Emirates led with the highest installed renewable energy capacity, ranking fourth in the MENA region with approximately * gigawatts. Investments in renewable energy The MENA region has been increasingly turning to renewable energy to meet its energy needs. Over the past decade, countries in the GCC and North Africa have invested heavily in renewable energy, with Saudi Arabia and Egypt scoring the highest value of renewable energy project contracts. This shift may be driven by the need to address gaps in current energy supplies and reduce dependence on fossil fuels by adopting more sustainable energy sources. The GCC is home to the top four valued renewable energy projects currently under execution in the MENA region. However, it is primarily the North African countries that currently account for the largest share of energy investments directed towards renewable energy in the region. Saudi Arabia Vision 2023 Renewable energy is one of the key areas of focus for Saudi Arabia as part of its Vision 2030 project, which aims to diversify the country’s economy and wean it off oil dependency. Saudi Arabia has some of the most ambitious renewable energy production targets in the MENA region, followed closely by countries in North Africa. The country is currently undertaking the construction of a mega project known as NEOM, a brand-new city to be built in the middle of the desert, estimated to cost well over *** billion U.S. dollars. Initially, the city is expected to be powered by ** percent renewable energy before switching solely to renewable and green energy by 2030.

The overall share of renewables in the European Union's final energy consumption reached **** percent in 2023. Sweden was the country with the largest share of renewables with over ** percent of energy consumption covered by renewables that year. According to the 2030 renewable energy targets of the region, EU member states must reach a renewable consumption share of at least **** percent by 2030.