The International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA) said that world renewable energy capacity grew by 9.6% last year, but it must triple to limit global warming.
According to IRENA’s annual report on renewable energy statistics, global renewable energy capacity grew to 3,372 gigawatts (GW) at the end of last year, some 295 GW or 9.6% more than the previous year.
About 83% of all new power capacity last year came from renewables.
“This continued record growth demonstrates the strength of renewables during a persistent energy crisis”declared Francesco La Camera, IRENA’s director general.
“But annual additions of renewable energy capacity must triple the current level by 2030 if we are to follow the path of limiting global warming to 1.5°C,” he added.
Solar and wind dominated renewable capacity expansion, jointly accounting for 90% of all net renewable additions in 2022according to the report.
Almost half of the new capacity was added in Asia. China was the largest contributor, adding 141 GW to Asia’s new capacity.
Renewables in Europe and North America grew by 57.3 GW and 29.1 GW, respectively, while the Middle East posted its largest renewables increase on record, with 3.2 GW of new capacity coming online in 2022, up 12.8% increase over the previous year.
A report by the UN Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change said emissions must halve by the mid-2030s if the world is to have any chance of limiting temperature rise to 1.5 degrees Celsius above the pre-industrial level.
By Nina Chestney, from Reuters agency
Source: Ambito
