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.

Japan was up 24.7% of Renewable Power Generation in 2019, compared to the previous year.

China is the largest consumer of primary energy in the world, having used some 176.35 exajoules in 2024. This is a lot more than what the United States consumed, which comes in second place. The majority of primary energy fuels worldwide are still derived from fossil fuels, such as oil and coal. China's energy mix China’s primary energy mix has shifted from a dominant use of coal to an increase in natural gas and renewable sources. Since 2013, the renewables share in total energy consumption has grown by around eight percentage points. Overall, global primary energy consumption has increased over the last decade, and it is expected to experience the largest growth in emerging economies like the BRIC countries - Brazil, Russia, India, and China. What is primary energy? Primary energy is the energy inherent in natural resources such as crude oil, coal, and wind before further transformation. For example, crude oil can be refined into secondary fuels, such as gasoline or diesel, while wind is harnessed for electricity - itself a secondary energy source. A country’s total primary energy supply is a measure of the country’s primary energy sources. Meanwhile, end-use energy is the energy directly consumed by the user and includes primary fuels such as natural gas, as well as secondary sources, like electricity and gasoline.

Operating-Income Time Series for Ellaktor S.A. Ellaktor S.A., through its subsidiaries, engages in the construction and quarrying, wind energy, concession, environment, and real estate development businesses in Greece, other European countries, Gulf countries, the Americas, and Australia. The company operates through five segments: Construction, Concessions, Renewable Energy Sources (RES), Environment, and Real estate Development. It constructs bridges, motorways, metro projects, biological treatment plants, natural gas pipelines, refineries, shopping centers, casinos, tourist and hotel units, cultural centers, hospitals, airports, Olympic and athletic complexes, railway projects, tunnels, dams, port projects, energy production stations, electromechanical projects, etc.; and logistics, office, residential, industrial, and educational buildings. The company is also involved in the waste management and energy production, which include design, construction, and operation of waste treatment plant, as well as offers alternative fuel production and biomass exploitation projects. In addition, it develops, constructs, and operates wind farms; provides real estate development and services, which consists of retail parks, entertainment centers, residential complexes, exhibition centers, and offices and mixed use buildings, as well as offers consultancy and services to third parties. The company was formerly known as ELLINIKI TECHNODOMIKI TEB SA and changed its name to Ellaktor S.A. in 2008. The company is headquartered in Athens, Greece.

Net-Income-From-Continuing-Operations Time Series for Ellaktor S.A. Ellaktor S.A., through its subsidiaries, engages in the construction and quarrying, wind energy, concession, environment, and real estate development businesses in Greece, other European countries, Gulf countries, the Americas, and Australia. The company operates through five segments: Construction, Concessions, Renewable Energy Sources (RES), Environment, and Real estate Development. It constructs bridges, motorways, metro projects, biological treatment plants, natural gas pipelines, refineries, shopping centers, casinos, tourist and hotel units, cultural centers, hospitals, airports, Olympic and athletic complexes, railway projects, tunnels, dams, port projects, energy production stations, electromechanical projects, etc.; and logistics, office, residential, industrial, and educational buildings. The company is also involved in the waste management and energy production, which include design, construction, and operation of waste treatment plant, as well as offers alternative fuel production and biomass exploitation projects. In addition, it develops, constructs, and operates wind farms; provides real estate development and services, which consists of retail parks, entertainment centers, residential complexes, exhibition centers, and offices and mixed use buildings, as well as offers consultancy and services to third parties. The company was formerly known as ELLINIKI TECHNODOMIKI TEB SA and changed its name to Ellaktor S.A. in 2008. The company is headquartered in Athens, Greece.

Change-In-Cash Time Series for Ellaktor S.A. Ellaktor S.A., through its subsidiaries, engages in the construction and quarrying, wind energy, concession, environment, and real estate development businesses in Greece, other European countries, Gulf countries, the Americas, and Australia. The company operates through five segments: Construction, Concessions, Renewable Energy Sources (RES), Environment, and Real estate Development. It constructs bridges, motorways, metro projects, biological treatment plants, natural gas pipelines, refineries, shopping centers, casinos, tourist and hotel units, cultural centers, hospitals, airports, Olympic and athletic complexes, railway projects, tunnels, dams, port projects, energy production stations, electromechanical projects, etc.; and logistics, office, residential, industrial, and educational buildings. The company is also involved in the waste management and energy production, which include design, construction, and operation of waste treatment plant, as well as offers alternative fuel production and biomass exploitation projects. In addition, it develops, constructs, and operates wind farms; provides real estate development and services, which consists of retail parks, entertainment centers, residential complexes, exhibition centers, and offices and mixed use buildings, as well as offers consultancy and services to third parties. The company was formerly known as ELLINIKI TECHNODOMIKI TEB SA and changed its name to Ellaktor S.A. in 2008. The company is headquartered in Athens, Greece.

China consumes by far the most electricity of any country in the world, with almost 9,000 terawatt-hours equivalent consumed in 2024. The United States ranked as the second-leading electricity consumer that year, with over 4,000 terawatt-hours consumed. India followed, but by a wide margin. Production and consumption disparities China not only leads countries in electricity consumption worldwide, it also dominates production, generating over 10 petawatt-hours annually. The United States follows with 4.6 petawatt-hours, significantly more than its consumption of 4,065 terawatt-hours. This disparity underscores the complex relationship between production and consumption, influenced by factors such as energy efficiency, export capabilities, and domestic demand. The global expansion of electricity networks, particularly in Central and Southern Asia, is driving increased production to meet growing access and demand. Shifting energy landscapes The United States, as the second-largest consumer, is experiencing a significant shift in its energy mix. Coal-based electricity has declined by nearly 65 percent since 2010, giving way to natural gas and renewable sources. This transition is evident in recent capacity additions, with renewable energy sources accounting for almost 90 percent of new electricity capacity in 2025. The surge in renewable generation, particularly wind power, is reshaping the U.S. energy landscape and influencing consumption patterns. As renewable energy consumption is projected to more than double by 2050, the electricity market is adapting to these changing dynamics.

Selling-General-and-Administrative Time Series for Ellaktor S.A. Ellaktor S.A., through its subsidiaries, engages in the construction and quarrying, wind energy, concession, environment, and real estate development businesses in Greece, other European countries, Gulf countries, the Americas, and Australia. The company operates through five segments: Construction, Concessions, Renewable Energy Sources (RES), Environment, and Real estate Development. It constructs bridges, motorways, metro projects, biological treatment plants, natural gas pipelines, refineries, shopping centers, casinos, tourist and hotel units, cultural centers, hospitals, airports, Olympic and athletic complexes, railway projects, tunnels, dams, port projects, energy production stations, electromechanical projects, etc.; and logistics, office, residential, industrial, and educational buildings. The company is also involved in the waste management and energy production, which include design, construction, and operation of waste treatment plant, as well as offers alternative fuel production and biomass exploitation projects. In addition, it develops, constructs, and operates wind farms; provides real estate development and services, which consists of retail parks, entertainment centers, residential complexes, exhibition centers, and offices and mixed use buildings, as well as offers consultancy and services to third parties. The company was formerly known as ELLINIKI TECHNODOMIKI TEB SA and changed its name to Ellaktor S.A. in 2008. The company is headquartered in Athens, Greece.

This statistic displays a ranking of the U.S. cities in 2019 based on environment, transportation, energy sources, and lifestyle and policy. During this time, San Francisco, California was ranked first with a score of *****.

In Belgium, the primary energy produced by renewable sources mainly derived from solid biofuel, wind power, and renewable municipal waste. In 2020, primary energy produced by solid biofuel amounted to ***** kilotons of oil equivalent. During that year, primary production from wind power followed closely, reaching ***** kilotons of oil equivalent, whereas municipal waste generated *** kilotons. On the other hand, among renewable source, geothermal power was the least fruitful in terms of energy production.

Belgium and nuclear power

The share of energy derived from renewable sources consumed in Belgium reached **** percent in 2019. The country was mostly powered by nuclear energy. In 2018, Belgian nuclear plants produced over *** thousand kilotons of oil equivalent energy. Although the Belgian production of nuclear power decreased in recent years, the amount of energy generated from nuclear power was more than double the amount of renewable energy.

The future of renewable energy in Belgium

From a European perspective, Belgium’s renewable energy sector was far behind. Alongside with Luxembourg, Malta, and the Netherlands, the country ranked among the European Union countries with the lowest share of renewable energy in their final consumption. According to the European Union goals for the year 2020, Belgium should reach for ** percent of its energy consumption to be renewable. Therefore, the Belgian energy sector needs to shift further towards using more inexhaustible resources.

In 2023, U.S. wind power capacity additions reached approximately seven gigawatts, a decrease from the previous year, which registered nine gigawatts. The share of renewable energy sources in the U.S. has seen an increase in the last years. In 2023, renewables accounted for almost 3 percent of the country's electricity generation. Energy after recession When crude oil prices increased during the financial crisis, investors began to consider how to make other sources more cost-effective. Post-Recession investments included clean energy, but also largely focused on developing new methods to extract more fossil fuels such as natural gas. In general, fossil fuel subsidies worldwide have increased for oil and natural gas from 2010 to 2012 and from 2016 to 2018. International investments in clean energy U.S. investment in clean energy drastically increased from 2004 to around the time of the financial crisis, and then grew at a slower and more variable rate. In 2022, renewable energy investments registered record values. In 2019, the United States ranked second worldwide in terms of new investment in renewable energy. In that year, China invested much more into renewables than the United States. Other countries, such as Japan, India, and Brazil also had notable clean energy investments.

In 2024, China ranked first in the world in terms of pumped storage hydropower capacity, with more than 50.9 gigawatts. Japan and the United States followed second and third respectively, with roughly 21.9 gigawatts and 18.9 gigawatts of capacity respectively.

Nuclear power had the highest capacity factor among energy sources in the United States, at over 92 percent in 2024. Geothermal energy-generating facilities followed and had the largest capacity factor among renewable sources at 65 percent. In contrast, natural gas and petroleum ranked the lowest. Cost of nuclear power in the United States Despite the large capacity factor, nuclear power plants had one of the highest levelized costs of electricity in the country. The operating expenses of nuclear utilities in the U.S. are nearly 50 percent lower than those of fossil fuel power plants, indicating higher capital expenditure for these facilities. Capacity factor of renewable energy plants Excluding geothermal energy, the capacity factor of renewable energy plants in the U.S. was roughly 34 percent for hydropower and wind energy and close to 23 percent for solar photovoltaic and solar thermal in 2023. Overall, the capacity factor of offshore wind power worldwide was at 41 percent in 2023, while the one of utility-scale solar PV was at approximately 16 percent in that year.

As of 2021, Russia held natural resources amounting to an estimated total value of ** trillion U.S. dollars. This figure includes the value of Russia’s many valuable natural resources, which includes coal, oil, natural gas, gold, timber, and rare earth metals, among others. Natural Resources Natural resources can be defined as resources that occur naturally and exist independently from the actions of humans. They are commonly categorized in biotic and abiotic resources, where biotic refers to living and organic materials (such as plants), and abiotic resources to refers to non-living materials (such as minerals). Furthermore, natural resources can be divided into the categories of renewable and non-renewable. Renewable resources such as wind, sunlight, and forests are not permanently depleted when we consume or utilize them. Conversely, non-renewable resources are available in finite quantities and can be permanently depleted because of this. Among the most prominently known non-renewable resources on Earth are fossil fuels such as coal, natural gas, and petroleum, usually exploited by humankind to generate energy. Natural resources and sustainability The value of natural resources is often determined by their scarcity and by their value for our modern economies. In the consumption-oriented, globalized world, industries need to balance meeting consumer demands and guaranteeing business growth while not over-exploiting and consequently depleting the natural resources of our planet. With natural resources having such high economic value and demand, in addition to the fact that many countries in the world have heavily resource-based economies, the socially, environmentally, and economically sustainable management of these resources is often an afterthought, if its considered at all. This issue is increasingly causing environmental issues, however, and more attention is now being paid by national governments and international environmental watch groups, as a result. Natural resources in the United States With a total natural resource value of ** trillion U.S. dollars, the U.S. is the second leading country worldwide based on natural resource value after Russia. Among the main contributors to the United States’ natural resource value are coal, timber, natural gas, gold, and copper. These industries have strong historic significance for the United States. The U.S. lumber industry, for example, originated during the colonial era, when importing timber from the United States saved people in the U.K. from cold winters. Nowadays, U.S. timber is mostly used for the production of pulp and paper, as well as furniture. The U.S. also has the largest proven coal reserves worldwide as of 2019. In 2020, the U.S. also accounted for *** percent of global coal production, which made the country the fifth-largest coal producer in the world.

The United States generated ***** terawatt-hours of electricity in 2024, one of the largest figures recorded in the indicated period. In comparison to the previous year, power generation decreased by *** terawatt-hours. U.S. electricity market and the role of renewables Unlike the use of fossil fuels, U.S. renewable electricity generation has increased in recent years, amounting to more than *** terawatt-hours in 2023. Wind power has become the main renewable source of electricity generation in the North American country, having surpassed conventional hydroelectric power in 2019. Who are the main consumers of electricity? The residential sector was ranked as the largest consumer of electricity in the United States in 2023. Electricity retail sales to residential users have grown by almost *** terawatt-hours since the beginning of the century.

The deadliest energy source worldwide is coal. It is estimated that there are roughly 33 deaths from brown coal (also known as Lignite) and 25 deaths from coal per terawatt-hour (TWh) of electricity produced from these fossil fuels. While figures take into account accidents, the majority of deaths associated with coal come from air pollution. Air pollution deaths from fossil fuels Air pollution from coal-fired plants has been of growing concern as it has been linked to asthma, cancer, and heart disease. Burning coal can release toxic airborne pollutants such as mercury, sulfur dioxide, nitrogen oxides, and particulate matter. Eastern Asia accounts for roughly 31 percent of global deaths attributable to exposure to fine particulate matter (PM2.5) generated by fossil fuel combustion, which is perhaps unsurprising given the fact China and India are the two largest coal consumers in the world. Safest energy source Clean and renewable energy sources are unsurprisingly the least deadly energy sources, with 0.04 and 0.02 deaths associated with wind and solar per unit of electricity, respectively. Nuclear energy also has a low death rate, even after the inclusion of nuclear catastrophes like Chernobyl and Fukushima.

As of 2023, electric vehicle sales revenue in the United Arab Emirates reached approximately *********** U.S. dollars. Apart from 2018 and 2019, revenue from electric vehicle sales has continued to increase from 2016. This trend is forecast to sustain itself for at least the next 5 years, crossing *** million U.S. dollars in 2028.  UAE’s push for sustainability The promotion of electric vehicles is part of a wider series of measures that the UAE has taken to promote sustainability and green energy in recent years. These policies not only have a positive environmental impact, but are also part of an effort to diversify and future-proof the economy. In 2022, the effect of various regulations on the total electricity saved through Dubai's Demand Side Management (DSM) strategy was noticeable. The country ranked one of the highest in renewable energy finance and investment scores in the Middle East and Africa in 2018, at ** percent.  Electric vehicle market in the UAE  The UAE has a mature electric vehicle market with offerings from European, South Korean, and American manufacturers. Sales figures of electric vehicles in the UAE in 2022 show that Tesla makes up the country's biggest share of electric vehicles sold. The volume of electric vehicle sales in the UAE has seen an overall increase since 2016, when only *** vehicles were sold. In 2022, the number of registered electric vehicles in the Emirate of Dubai alone had surpassed ******. Electric vehicles have carved out a market share for themselves in the UAE, and it is expected to continue expanding.

Since the beginning of the 21st century, the BRICS countries have been considered the five foremost developing economies in the world. Originally, the term BRIC was used by economists when talking about the emerging economies of Brazil, Russia, India, and China, however these countries have held annual summits since 2009, and the group has expanded to include South Africa since 2010. China has the largest GDP of the BRICS country, at 16.86 trillion U.S. dollars in 2021, while the others are all below three trillion. Combined, the BRICS bloc has a GDP over 25.85 trillion U.S. dollars in 2022, which is slightly more than the United States. BRICS economic development China has consistently been the largest economy of this bloc, and its rapid growth has seen it become the second largest economy in the world, behind the U.S.. China's growth has also been much faster than the other BRICS countries; for example, when compared with the second largest BRICS economy, its GDP was less than double the size of Brazil's in 2000, but is almost six times larger than India's in 2021. Since 2000, the country with the second largest GDP has fluctuated between Brazil, Russia, and India, due to a variety of factors, although India has held this position since 2015 (when the other two experienced recession), and it's growth rate is on track to surpass China's in the coming decade. South Africa has consistently had the smallest economy of the BRICS bloc, and it has just the third largest economy in Africa; its inclusion in this group is due to the fact that it is the most advanced and stable major economy in Africa, and it holds strategic importance due to the financial potential of the continent in the coming decades. Future developments It is predicted that China's GDP will overtake that of the U.S. by the end of the 2020s, to become the largest economy in the world, while some also estimate that India will also overtake the U.S. around the middle of the century. Additionally, the BRICS group is more than just an economic or trading bloc, and its New Development Bank was established in 2014 to invest in sustainable infrastructure and renewable energy across the globe. While relations between its members were often strained or of less significance in the 20th century, their current initiatives have given them a much greater international influence. The traditional great powers represented in the Group of Seven (G7) have seen their international power wane in recent decades, while BRICS countries have seen theirs grow, especially on a regional level. Today, the original BRIC countries combine with the Group of Seven (G7), to make up 11 of the world's 12 largest economies, but it is predicted that they will move further up on this list in the coming decades.

In 2023, China accounted for almost 85 percent of the global photovoltaic (PV) module production. The country representing the second-largest share of PV production was Vietnam, accounting for just 3.4 percent. Global trends in solar energy Solar is one of the fastest-growing energy technologies in the global market, as the average cost of using solar PV has decreased over the years. Recent years have seen impressive annual growth in the global production volumes of solar modules. At the same time, the average installed cost for solar photovoltaics has consistently decreased every year since 2010. Investments in solar photovoltaic energy worldwide have grown rapidly in the last few years. China dominates the solar industry In addition to dominating the PV module production market, China is also the global leader in installed PV capacity. What’s more, most of the leading solar companies worldwide headquartered in China.