Renewable Energy & Sustainability Heroes by GineersNow Engineering GineersNow Engineering Magazine Issue No. 017, Ren | Page 49

capacity increased by just under 1 GW.
Asia accounted for 58 per cent of new
renewable additions in 2016, according to the
data, giving it a total of 812 GW or roughly 41
per cent of the global capacity. Asia was also
the fastest growing region, with a 13.1 per cent
increase in renewable capacity. Africa installed
4.1 GW of new capacity in 2016, twice as much
as 2015.
This year’s edition of Renewable Energy
Capacity Statistics contains for the first time
data specifically for off-grid renewables. IRENA
shows that off-grid renewable electricity
capacity reached 2,800 megawatts (MW) at the
end of 2016. Roughly 40 per cent of off-grid
electricity was provided by solar energy and 10
per cent from hydropower. The majority of the
remainder came from bioenergy. It is estimated
that globally as many as 60 million households,
or 300 million people, are served with and
benefit from off-grid renewable electricity.
Highlights by technology:
Hydropower: In 2016, about half of new hydro
capacity was installed in Brazil and China (14.6
GW in total). Other countries with major hydro
expansion (over 1 GW) included: Canada;
Ecuador; Ethiopia and India.
Wind energy: Almost three-quarters of new
wind energy capacity was installed last year in
just four countries: China (+19 GW); USA (+9
GW); Germany (+5 GW); and India (+4 GW).
Brazil continued to show strong growth, with an
increase of 2 GW in 2016.
Bioenergy: The majority of bioenergy capacity
expansion occurred in Asia last year (+5.9
GW) and Asia is fast approaching Europe in
terms of its share of global bioenergy capacity
(32 per cent compared to 34 per cent in
Europe). Europe (+1.3 GW) and South America
(+0.9 GW) were the other two regions where
bioenergy capacity expanded significantly.
Solar energy: Asia saw the most growth in solar
capacity last year, with capacity of 139 GW
(+50 GW). Almost half of all new solar capacity
was installed in China in 2016 (+34 GW). Other
countries with significant expansion included:
USA (+11 GW); Japan (+8 GW) and India (+4
GW). Capacity in Europe expanded by 5 GW to
reach 104 GW, with most expansion occurring
in Germany and the UK.
Geothermal energy: Geothermal power capacity
increased by 780 MW in 2016, with expansions
in Kenya (+485 MW), Turkey (+150 MW),
Indonesia (+95 MW) and Italy (+55 MW).
Renewable Energy Capacity Statistics 2017
offers the most comprehensive, up-to-date
and accessible figures on renewable energy
capacity statistics. It includes figures from 2000
to 2016, and contains data from more than 200
countries and territories.