Global renewable energy capacity soared in 2015

• 8 years ago (2016-04-12)
• David Flin

Asia 859 Europe 1068 Renewables 757

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According to a new report from the International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA), global renewable energy capacity recorded the largest ever annual growth rate in 2015. IRENA’s “Renewable Capacity Statistics 2016” shows generation capacity from renewables grew by 152 GW worldwide, a rate of 8.3 per cent, during 2015. The majority of growth came from new installations of wind and solar power. The report said that at the end of 2015, 1985 GW of renewable capacity is installed worldwide.

Roughly 90 per cent of new wind energy (57 GW) was installed in China, India, Europe and North America, but the report notes that wind is on the rise in other regions, such as South America, where capacity increased by 3.1 GW (40 per cent) in 2015.