The International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA) has released the next version of the annual collection of statistical data on installed renewable energy capacity by country, Renewable Capacity Statistics 2022.
According to the latest IRENA data, last year, the capacity of power plants operating based on renewable energy sources (RES) increased by 257 GW. About the same as in 2020. At the same time, 60% of new RES capacities have been put into operation in Asia.
The total capacity of RES power plants exceeded 3,000 GW, and their share in the total installed capacity of the global energy system increased from 36.6% to 38.3% over the year.
The agency emphasizes that the share of renewable energy sources in the growth of generating capacities in the world in 2021 amounted to 81%. The energy transition trend is evident.
Most new RES capacities (88%) are solar and wind power plants. This once again confirms that solar and wind generation is gradually becoming the largest sector of the global electric power industry.
According to IRENA, solar power has grown by a record 133 GW (I assume that the figures are given for alternating current), wind power by 93 GW.
Earlier it was reported that at the end of 2021, the share of solar and wind generation in the production of global electricity for the first time exceeded 10% and reached 10.3%.
Last year, hydropower capacity in the world increased by 19 GW, and bioenergy by 10 GW.
The installed capacity of HPPs reached 1,360 GW at the end of the year, including 130 GW of storage power plants, 849 GW of solar energy, and 825 GW of wind power.