In 2022, global hydropower capacity grew 2%, an expansion rate the International Renewable Energy Agency said is “consistent with recent years” in its Renewable Capacity Statistics 2023 report.
By the end of 2022, global renewable generation capacity amounted to 3372 GW, growing by 9.6%. An impressive 83% of all power capacity added last year was produced by renewables, IRENA said. The report shows that renewable energy continues to grow at record levels despite global uncertainties, confirming the downward trend of fossil fueled power generation, IRENA said.
“This continued record growth shows the resilience of renewable energy amidst the lingering energy crisis”, IRENA’s Director-General Francesco La Camera said. “The strong business case of renewables coupled with enabling policies has sustained an upward trend of their share in the global energy mix year on year. But annual additions of renewable power capacity must grow three times the current level by 2030, if we want to stay on a pathway limiting global warming to 1.5°C.”
While many countries increased their renewable capacity in 2022, the significant growth of renewables is concentrated in a few countries and regions like Asia, the U.S. and Europe.
IRENA’s data finds that almost half of all new capacity in 2022 was added in Asia, resulting in a total of 1.63 TW of renewable capacity by 2022. China was the biggest contributor, adding 141 GW to the continent’s new capacity.
Renewables in Europe and North America grew by 57.3 GW and 29.1 GW, respectively. Africa continued to expand steadily with an increase of 2.7 GW, slightly above last year. Oceania continued its double-digit growth with an expansion of 5.2 GW, and South America continued an upward trend, with a capacity expansion of 18.2 GW. The Middle East recorded its highest increase in renewables on record, with 3.2 GW of new capacity commissioned in 2022, an increase of 12.8%.
Although hydropower accounted for the largest share of the global total renewable generation capacity with 1,250 GW and increased by 21 GW in 2022, solar and wind continued to dominate new generating capacity. Together, both technologies contributed 90% to the share of all new renewable capacity in 2022. Solar capacity led with 22% increase, followed by wind energy, which increased its capacity by 9%.
IRENA is an intergovernmental organization that supports countries in their transition to a sustainable energy future and serves as a platform for international cooperation, center of excellence, and repository of policy, technology, resource and financial knowledge on renewable energy.
