Aenert news. Energy Market & Energy Statistics
IRENA presented statistics on renewable energy over the past decade and developments in 2022. Total renewable generation capacity increased by 9.6% (+295 GW) in 2022. Solar and wind energy accounted for 90% of the net increase in renewable energy sources, with solar power continuing to lead in capacity growth: its increase was 192 GW (+22%), followed by wind power – 75 GW (+9%). Hydro power increased by 21 GW (+2%), and bioenergy increased by 8 GW (+5%). Geothermal energy increased by only 181 MW.

The high growth in solar power came mainly from solar photovoltaics, which accounted for almost all of the increase in 2022 (+191,450 MW), while the gain in concentrated solar power was only 125 MW. Most of the capacity growth occurred in China (+86.0 GW), the United States (+17.6 GW), India (+13.5 GW), and Brazil (+9.9 GW). In Europe, the leading countries in solar power production were the Netherlands (+7.7 GW) and Germany (+7.2 GW).



As mentioned earlier, wind power grew by 75 GW in 2022, which slowed down compared to the previous two years. The share of offshore wind remained unchanged and was roughly 7% of total wind capacity at the end of 2022. As in most sectors, China accounted for nearly half of the growth in wind power (37 GW), and the United States increased its capacity by 7.8 GW. In addition, more or less significant capacity expansions occurred in Brazil and several European countries – the UK, Germany, France and Finland.

If we look at the development of renewable energy by region, the trend of previous years is being consolidated, with Asia accounting for about 60% of new renewable capacity installed in 2022. China traditionally accounts for the lion's share of new capacity – 141 GW out of a total Asian capacity of 174.9 GW. Europe ranks second in terms of increased capacity, adding 57.3 GW, or 8.8%. North America added roughly half as much, with 29.1 GW (+6.3%). Africa kept up its steady capacity increase, adding 2.7 GW (+4.8%), which is slightly higher than last year. Through expansion in Australia, the Oceania region was able to continue its growth of recent years, adding 5.2 GW (+10.6%), and South America continued its growth trend with an increase of 18.2 GW (+7.4%).

By the end of 2022, global renewable generation capacity totalled 3,372 GW. Hydropower accounted for the largest share of total global capacity with 1,256 GW, followed by solar power – 1,053 GW and wind power – 899 GW. Other renewable capacity includes 149 GW of bioenergy and 15 GW of geothermal energy, as well as 524 MW of marine energy. The share of renewable energy in the total net increase in capacity in 2022 was 83%, compared to 78% in 2021.

By the Editorial Board