Global renewable capacity increased by 295 GW last year, bringing the world to a cumulative installed capacity of 3,372 GW, according to the International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA).

IRENA says developers installed 295 GW of renewable energy throughout the world in 2022, driving up global cumulative installed capacity by 9.6% to 3,372 GW. It was a year of record growth, largely based on newly installed PV systems, according to IRENA.

The organization says 191 GW of solar was installed last year. It notes that growth is still largely concentrated in a handful of countries and regions such as Asia, the United States, and Europe. Asia accounted for 60% of new capacity additions, where 1.63 TW of renewables are now installed.

China accounted for almost half of the new global renewables capacity in 2022, at 141 GW. A total of 57.3 GW were added in North America in 2022 and 29.1 GW in Europe, according to IRENA. Africa continued its steady growth at 2.7 GW, slightly above the figures for the previous year.

“This sustained record growth demonstrates the resilience of renewable energy amid the current energy crisis,” said IRENA Director General Francesco La Camera.

IRENA says hydropower still accounts for the largest share of installed renewables capacity at 1,255 GW. But last year, only 21 GW were added. Solar is catching up and last year passed the terawatt milestone of installed capacity.

IRENA has listed the top 10 global PV markets in terms of cumulative installed capacity:

China – 392 GW

United States – 111 GW

Japan – 78.8 GW

Germany – 66.5 GW

India – 62.8 GW

Australia – 26.7 GW

Italy – 25 GW

Brazil – 24 GW

Netherlands – 22.5 GW

South Korea – 20.9 GW

by Sandra Enkhardt and Beatriz Santos

MARCH 22, 2023