BAKU, Azerbaijan, March 27. In 2023, the world hit a new high in adding renewable energy to the power sector, hitting a total capacity of 3,870 GW, Trend reports.
According to the research made by the International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA), renewables made up 86 percent of the new capacity added.
However, as the agency noted, this growth isn't spread out evenly worldwide, which shows we're still a long way from tripling renewable power by 2030.
Meanwhile, Asia led the way in renewable expansion, contributing 69 percent (326 GW) of the 473 GW added. China was the main driver, increasing its capacity by 63 percent to reach 297.6 GW. This leaves a big gap with other regions, especially many developing countries that have pressing economic and development needs, IRENA pointed out.
Africa saw some growth, but it was much smaller, increasing by only 4.6 percent to reach a total capacity of 62 GW, the report noted.
Other regions also saw notable growth, with the Middle East increasing by 16.6 percent and Oceania by 9.4 percent. The G7 countries collectively boosted their capacity by 7.6 percent, adding 69.4 GW last year.
Furthermore, the G20 nations increased their capacity by 15 percent, reaching 3,084 GW by 2023. However, to achieve the goal of tripling renewable power to over 11 TW, the G20 members alone must reach 9.4 TW of renewable power capacity by 2030.
Solar energy remains the primary driver of renewable capacity expansion, accounting for 73 percent of the growth last year, totaling 1,419 GW. Wind power followed with a 24-percent share of renewable expansion, IRENA added.