World's renewable power capacity grows by record 147 GW in 2015

The world added a record 147 GW of renewable power capacity in 2015 in spite of falling fossil fuel prices and ongoing fossil fuel subsidies, REN21 says in its Renewables 2016 Global Status Report.

Some 77% of the increase came from wind and solar, which saw record additions for a second year in a row. Solar capacity grew by 50 GW to bring the global total to 227 GW, while wind was up 63 GW to 433 GW.

The world's renewable power capacity last year reached 1,849 GW, or 785 GW when hydro is excluded. This is enough to generate 23.7% of global electricity, with hydropower supplying about 16.6%, Renewable Energy Policy Network for the 21st Century (REN21) says.

According to the report, released today, modern renewable energy supplies about 8% of final energy for heating and cooling in buildings and industry globally, while an estimated 4% of global fuel for road transport is renewable. One of REN21's recommendations to policymakers is placing a greater emphasis on increasing the role of renewable energy in the heating and transport sectors.

In 2015, global investment in renewable power and fuels also increased to a record USD 285.9 billion (EUR 256.2bn), based on Bloomberg New Energy Finance (BNEF) data, with spending on new renewable power capacity more than double that on new coal- and natural gas-fired power stations.

In April, a report by the International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA) said that global renewable electricity capacity increased at a record-high rate of 8.3%, or by 152 GW, in 2015.

(USD 1.0 = EUR 0.896)

Choose your newsletter by Renewables Now. Join for free!