In June 2021, the Renewables Energy Policy Network for the 21st Century (REN21) released the 2021 edition of the Renewables Global Status Report. The report, which compiles data on energy policies and markets, provides the most up-to-date global picture on renewable energy.
The report shows continued progress in the power sector: "Today, almost all new power capacity is renewable. [Renewables represented 83% of net power capacity additions in 2020.] More than 256 GW were added globally in 2020 – surpassing the previous record by nearly 30%. In more and more regions, including parts of China, the EU, India and the United States, it is now cheaper to build new wind or solar PV plants than to operate existing coal-fired power plants."
The report shows continued progress in the power sector: "Today, almost all new power capacity is renewable. [Renewables represented 83% of net power capacity additions in 2020.] More than 256 GW were added globally in 2020 – surpassing the previous record by nearly 30%. In more and more regions, including parts of China, the EU, India and the United States, it is now cheaper to build new wind or solar PV plants than to operate existing coal-fired power plants."
However, from a climate perspective, this success is not nearly enough because fossil fuels remain the dominant source of energy in other sectors, including transportation, heating, and cooling. Burning fossil fuels is the major contributor to climate change and also contributes to biodiversity loss and pollution. The report shows that the "share of fossil fuels in the total energy mix is as high as a decade ago (80.3% vs. 80.2% today)."
While many countries have adopted renewable energy and zero-carbon goals, the transition to a clean energy economy is still too far on the horizon. “We are waking up to the bitter reality that the climate policy promises over the past ten years have mostly been empty words. The share of fossil fuels in final energy consumption has not moved by an inch,” said Rana Adib, REN21’s Executive Director. “Phasing them out and making renewables the new norm are the strongest actions we can take.”
REN21's call to action echoes the findings of the International Energy Agency (IEA) earlier this year. In May 2021, the IEA called for a "Net Zero by 2050" energy sector based largely on renewable energy instead of fossil fuels. (For more on the IEA report, see our May 2021 blog post).
The following resources are available from REN21:
REN21's call to action echoes the findings of the International Energy Agency (IEA) earlier this year. In May 2021, the IEA called for a "Net Zero by 2050" energy sector based largely on renewable energy instead of fossil fuels. (For more on the IEA report, see our May 2021 blog post).
The following resources are available from REN21:
- Full report: EN
- Key Messages for Decision Makers: EN
- Figures: EN
- Data pack: EN
- Presentation: EN
- Press releases: EN | DE | ES | FR | PT | ZH | JA | KO | EL | ID | VI | TR
- Country fact sheets: Argentina EN, ES | Australia EN | Brazil EN, PT | Canada EN | Chile EN, ES | China EN, ZH | France FR, EN | Germany DE, EN| Indonesia EN, ID | Japan EN, JA | Mexico EN, ES | Nigeria EN | Republic of Korea EN, KO | South Africa EN | Spain ES, EN| Turkey TR, EN | United Kingdom EN | USA EN | Vietnam EN, VI
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