In recent years scrutiny over the environmental impact of more traditional energy sources has seen huge growth in renewables. The share of energy from renewable sources used in global energy generation has been rising annually, reaching roughly 30 percent in 2023. Increasing capacity and production As renewable shares continue to grow, so does the installed capacity. Since 2010 the cumulative renewable energy capacity has risen from 1.2 terawatts to 3.9 terawatts in 2023. Renewable electricity production has also increased significantly, rising to 7.9 petawatts hour in 2021. Despite this impressive and steady growth, the consumption of renewable energy still pales in comparison when compared to fossil fuel consumption. Consumption on the rise In the past two decades, global consumption of renewables has risen exponentially from just 2.6 exajoules in 2000, to over 45 exajoules in 2022. Globally, both China and the United States are the leading consumers of renewable energy, with a combined consumption of 21.7 exajoules.

In 2023, renewable sources accounted for 22.7 percent of the electricity generated in the United States. The share of renewables in the country's electricity generation has been continually increasing for nearly a decade. In addition, renewables accounted for over 70 percent of the power capacity additions in the U.S. in 2023. Renewable energy sources in the U.S. Wind power was the leading renewable energy source in the country, accounting for over 10 percent of the total electricity supply in the U.S., followed by hydropower. Renewable energy generation in the U.S. amounted to 894 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.

In the fiscal year 2023, the share of renewable energy in electricity generation in Japan reached approximately 22.9 percent. Figures increased compared to around ten percent in fiscal 2011. Main energy sources for electricity generation in Japan The nuclear disaster in 2011 affected the electricity market in Japan insofar that nuclear energy was replaced by fossil fuels. Natural gas and coal represented the energy sources with the largest share of the total electricity production in Japan. Since the archipelago lacks domestic reserves of fossil fuels, it is dependent on imports. This resulted in a declining self-sufficiency rate of primary energy, and an increase in electricity costs for homes shortly after the disaster. To be more independent of fossil fuel imports as well as to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and electric power costs, the country's current energy policy aims to replace fossil fuels with nuclear and renewable energy sources. Renewable energy in Japan In recent years, Japan was one of the largest hydroelectric power generating countries. Solar and hydroelectric power represented the renewable energy sources with the largest share in the electricity production. Since Japan is a mountainous country, there is a lack of space for other renewable power facilities such as wind farms. Wind power currently produces only a small amount of the electricity supply. Therefore, the Japanese government presently supports the expansion of offshore wind farms. In 2020, the Japanese government announced its intention for the country to become entirely emission-free by 2050. Nevertheless, there has been international criticism that Japan is unlikely to expand its renewable energy share sufficiently to achieve this goal.

Renewable sources accounted for 19.5 percent of India's electricity generation in 2023, up from 15.2 percent in 2010. India anticipates to meet its targets of a 50 percent non-fossil fuel energy share and a renewable energy capacity of 500 gigawatts (GW) before 2030.

Renewable sources accounted for almost 64 percent of Switzerland's electricity generation in 2023, one of the highest figures since 2010. Hydropower is the main source of electricity in Switzerland, while fossil fuels represent less than five percent of the mix.

In 2023, renewables accounted for over 60 percent of renewable electricity generation in Latin America and Caribbean, the region with the largest share of renewables in the power sector. Oceania and Europe accounted for 43 and 39 percent of electricity produced from renewable sources, respectively.

In 2023, Brazil produced roughly 88.7 percent of its electricity using renewable sources. Between 2000 and 2023, the share of renewables in Brazil's electricity fluctuated between approximately 73 and 90 percent. Brazil relies heavily in hydropower to meet the country's energy needs.

Throughout the past decade, the United States has been notably decreasing its use of coal, and increasing the use of natural gas and renewable energy sources for electricity generation. In 2023, natural gas was by far the largest source of electricity in the North American country, with a generation share of 43 percent. Renewable energy's share amounted to 23 percent that year.

Clean energy sources account for approximately one-third of China's power production. In 2022, approximately 14.88 percent of total electricity generated originated from hydropower plants. This was a decrease compared to the previous year as rainfall near major rivers had been lower than average. Nevertheless, the clean energy share has continuously increased over the period of consideration, with particular growth of solar and wind power.

The Spanish grid was mainly powered by wind and nuclear power plants in 2023. With a share of 23.5 percent, wind turbines were the most commonly used electricity generation technology in Spain that year, followed closely by nuclear power, which took up approximately 20.3 percent of the grid. Ranking also as an important energy generation source, combined cycle power plants held a share of 17.3 percent. In contrast, waste-to-energy sources accounted for roughly one percent of the grid.

Wind and nuclear power in Spain

In 2023, the main source of electricity in Spain was wind energy with a generation of approximately 62.6 terawatt hours. Wind power led the list of the largest installed capacity of energy sources in that year with over 30 gigawatts installed. Nuclear power generation clocked up approximately 54 terawatt hours in 2023.

Electricity production from renewable sources

During 2023, roughly half of the energy generated from renewable sources came from wind power. Electricity generation from solar photovoltaics represented almost 30 percent of all the electricity generated that year through renewable sources, making it the second most common on the list. Due to the large capacity for renewable energy installed in the region, Castile and Leon topped the list of autonomous communities with the highest generation from renewable sources in 2022, with 20.7 terawatt hours.

Renewable sources accounted for 66.12 percent of Canada's electricity generation in 2023, down from 68.29 percent in 2022. Hydropower is the main source of electricity in Canada, while coal was the fourth-largest source in the electricity mix in 2022.

The share of renewable energies in electricity generation in Sweden grew from 57.25 percent in 2000 to 69.45 percent in 2023. Sweden is one of the countries with the highest penetration of renewables worldwide, and produces most of its electricity from hydropower, which accounted for roughly 38 percent of the total generation in 2024. Wind energy is also a growing contributor to the country’s energy mix, accounting for a share of 25 percent during that year. By 2030, Sweden aims to reach a 100 percent share of renewables in electricity. Renewable energy expansion across sectors Sweden's progress in renewable electricity generation aligns with its broader efforts to integrate clean energy across various sectors. In 2022, renewables accounted for 66 percent of total energy consumption, the highest share recorded in recent years. This comprehensive approach extends to heating and cooling, where renewable sources made up 67.1 percent of the energy mix in 2023. Solid biofuels, biogas, and renewable waste are some of the main sources used in renewable heating in Sweden. The consistent renewable adoption across different sectors reflects Sweden's holistic approach to sustainable energy.
Sweden’s renewable capacity and generation Sweden's total renewable energy capacity reached approximately 40.6 terawatts in 2023, growing by more than 50 percent since 2009. This capacity growth has translated into increased generation, with renewable electricity production reaching 120 terawatt hours in 2024. These figures cement Sweden's position as one of the countries with the highest share of renewables over the total energy consumption.

From 2008 to 2023, the share of energy from renewable sources in electricity generation in Spain climbed from 20.5 percent to 50.3 percent. That was the first year with renewables accounted for more than half of electricity generation.

The share of renewables in electricity generation in Latin America's Andean subregion is forecast to range between 61 and 69 percent in 2030. This subregion comprises the countries of Bolivia, Colombia, Ecuador, Peru, and Venezuela

This statistic shows the proportion of electricity derived from renewable sources in the Netherlands from 2007 to 2023. During this period the share of energy from renewable sources in electricity generation climbed from six percent to 46.4 percent.

In the fiscal year 2023, the electricity produced from solar power in Japan stood at approximately 96 terawatt hours. To reduce greenhouse gas emissions and be less dependent on fossil fuel imports, the Japanese government is currently working on expanding electricity production from renewable energy sources.  Renewable energy in Japan  The share of renewable energy in electricity generation increased to over 22 percent in recent years. Until 2020, hydropower represented the largest renewable energy source in Japan. But since the conventional hydropower potential is considered to be almost fully developed, a further increase in capacity is hardly possible. The country currently makes investments in solar power a priority.The mountainous country has a lack of space for renewable power facilities on land. Therefore, it has recently made investments in floating solar panels and offshore wind farms with floating turbines. Wind energy currently only produces a small amount of energy supply, but the electricity production from offshore wind energy increased significantly in recent years.  Current climate policy  To realize its climate goals as a member of the Paris Agreement, the Japanese government plans to reduce its greenhouse emissions by 46 percent until 2030, compared to the level of 2013. Furthermore, the Japanese prime minister announced the goal for the country to become entirely carbon neutral by 2050, with a renewable energy share of around 50 percent. Even though most Japanese people agreed that renewable energy generation should be increased to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, the expansion of nuclear energy as a source of low-carbon energy will also be essential to meet this goal.

The share of energy from renewable sources in the electricity production in Italy climbed up from 16 percent in 2007 to over 38 percent in 2020. In 2022, this value amounted to 37 percent.

Fossil fuels remain the greatest source of electricity generation worldwide. In 2023, coal accounted for roughly 35.5 percent of the global power mix, while natural gas followed with a 23 percent share. China, India, and the United States accounted for the largest share of coal used for electricity generation. The future of renewable energy Fossil fuel use notwithstanding, the share of renewables in global electricity has seen a more pronounced year-on-year growth in recent years, following increased efforts by governments to combat global warming and a decrease in levelized costs. Projections indicate that renewables will surpass fossil fuels as the main power source by 2040. Electricity consumption in the world China is the largest electricity consumer in the world, requiring more than 8,000 terawatt-hours of electricity every year. However, this economic power accounts for the largest population in the world and its electricity consumption per capita is almost tenfold smaller than the consumption of Iceland, although the power used in this country came almost completely from clean sources.

The share of electricity generated from renewable sources in Portugal has been hiking up over the past months. April 2024 recorded the highest renewable share in total electricity generation, measuring 95 percent. Typically, summer months show a decrease in the share of renewable electricity production.

The renewable energy sector is expected to increase massively before the end of the decade. In 2021, European countries accounted for the largest share of energy produced from renewables worldwide. Europe is projected to maintain this top-ranking position in the next few years, with an expected 34 percent of energy production coming from renewable sources by 2027. The most substantial growth in renewable energy production between 2021 and 2027 is however forecast to occur in the Middle East and Africa, with a three-fold increase from four percent to 13 percent.

Renewable energy investments in the United States

With the Biden Bipartisan Infrastructure Bill in 2021, the United States allocated 65 billion U.S. dollars for upgrading the power infrastructure and 61 billion U.S. dollars for smart buildings. The clean energy investments in the U.S. will finance the transmission network of the growing renewable energy sector, the development of green technologies, and the optimization of energy consumption to save energy.

South America's renewable energy outlook

South America's share of energy production from renewable sources is projected to double between 2021 and 2027. The Argentinian energy sector, for example, has attracted Chinese and European investments and the renewable energy capacity of this country has experienced a steady growth since 2016. In Mexico, the capacity additions planned by the Program for the Development of the Electricity System 2022-2036 were predominately in the renewable energy sector.