According to the latest forecast from the International Energy Agency (IEA), published on Wednesday 1 December, the world is expected to have more renewable energy capacity than ever before in 2021, with a record 290 GW of solar, wind and other renewables added.
This increase in renewable energy capacity is 3% higher than the already exceptional growth in 2020 and is mainly due to an increase in the installation of solar photovoltaic panels. These account for more than half of the expansion of renewable energy in 2021 worldwide, followed by wind and hydro.
The IEA estimates that the growth of renewables will accelerate over the next 5 years, accounting for almost 95% of the increase in global electricity capacity until 2026.
This should lead to a renewable electricity capacity of more than 4800 GW in 2026, an increase of more than 60% between 2020 and 2026. This is equivalent to the current global electricity capacity of fossil fuels and nuclear power combined, the report says.
In terms of global distribution, the IEA expects China to remain the leader over the next 5 years, accounting for 43% of global renewable capacity growth, followed by Europe, the US and India.
See the report: https://bit.ly/31jufLE (Original version in French by Damien Genicot)