Malcolm Turnbull, IHA President, commented: “Encouragingly, this year's World Hydropower Outlook shows that global new capacity is accelerating after several years of stagnation. With increased solar and wind power on the grid, hydropower plays an increasingly vital role in the global energy transition.
While renewable hydropower (which excludes pumped storage) continues to provide the bulk of renewable electricity generation, variable renewables have steadily increased their share in the mix, growing from 1.1% of renewable generation in 2000 to 44.0% in 2023.
The remaining 70.1% (20 939 TWh) corresponded to fossil fuels, nuclear energy, pumped storage and other non-renewables, bringing global electricity generation from all sources to 29 867 TWh in 2023. HEADLINE FIGURES Electricity generation 8Wh 928 T Renewables in 2023 29.9% 5.6% Renewables YoY growth 13.2% 15.7%
Hydropower remains the world's largest source of renewable electricity, supplying 14.3% of global power and supporting power system flexibility in more than 150 countries.
After a 3% drop in global hydropower generation in 2023 due to climate change and El Niño, hydropower generation recovered in many countries, and new solar and wind installations
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For solar PV, wind and bioenergy for power, deployment has been revised downwards. Solar PV accounts for over 70% of the absolute reduction, mainly from utility-scale projects, while offshore
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Out of all renewable electricity generated in 2023 in the G20 countries, 43.9% was from hydropower, 28.5% from wind energy, 19.6% from solar energy, and 7.1% from bioenergy and a small proportion
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The chart below shows the percentage of global electricity production that comes from nuclear or renewable energy, such as solar, wind, hydropower, wind and tidal, and some biomass.
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Renewable energy statistics 2025 provides datasets on power-generation capacity for 2015-2024, actual power generation for 2015-2023 and renewable energy balances for over 150 countries and areas for
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Global hydropower capacity growth remains stable — driven by China, India, the ASEAN region and Africa — although it is projected to be overtaken by solar and wind generation over the
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Solar PV accounts for almost 80% of the global increase, followed by wind, hydropower, bioenergy and geothermal. In more than 80% of countries worldwide, renewable power capacity is set to grow faster
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Europe saw a landmark year for renewables in 2024, with frequent monthly peaks where hydropower, wind and solar led the EU power mix. Driven by exceptional rainfall, hydropower output
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Generation from nonhydro renewable energy sources (solar, wind, geothermal, and biomass) reached a new milestone, exceeding generation from hydropower and contributing ∼16% of global electricity,
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Renewable energy, with its cornerstone sources of hydroelectric power, solar energy, and wind energy power, stands as the most sustainable energy paradigm
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Where Does Our Electricity Come from?How Much of Our Electricity Comes from Low-Carbon Sources?Carbon Intensity of ElectricityElectricity Production by SourceThe chart below shows the percentage of global electricity production that comes from nuclear or renewable energy, such as solar, wind, hydropower, wind and tidal, and some biomass. Globally, more than a third of our electricity comes from low-carbon sources. However, the majority is still generated from fossil fuels, predominantly coal and gas. Th...See more on ourworldindata IEA – International Energy Agency
For solar PV, wind and bioenergy for power, deployment has been revised downwards. Solar PV accounts for over 70% of the absolute reduction, mainly from utility-scale projects, while offshore
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