Power
3.1%
Year-on-year growth in global power production in 2022
40%
Global generation from zero-carbon technologies in 2022
80%
Wind and solar's share of global power capacity additions in 2022
Capacity by technology
Global installed power-generating capacity reached a new high of 8.3 terawatts in 2022, a more than 50% increase from a decade ago. Capacity expanded by over 5% year-on-year in 2022, with wind and solar being the fastest growing technologies and reaching a quarter of global capacity.
Capacity by region
Asia-Pacific’s total installed power-generating capacity has nearly doubled in a decade. Africa follows with the next-highest growth rate, amid a 67% jump over the same period. Europe and North America have seen the least growth since 2012 with their power matrixes expanding by just 20%. Home to some of the world’s largest fossil fuel reserves, the Middle East has a total installed capacity of 349GW, of which 93% is attributed to fossil fuels. Latin America’s power matrix is the cleanest of any region, with over two-thirds (200 GW) of their renewables capacity represented by hydro, followed by solar with 58GW, and wind accounting for around 41GW.
Generation by technology
Global renewables generation reached a new high of 8.4 terawatt-hours in 2022, with an 8% jump in power demand compared to the previous year. With nearly 3,500TWh of power produced in 2022, wind and solar accounted for a combined 13% of 2022 global generation.
Generation by region
Asia Pacific led the spike in global electricity production in 2022, with a 6% rise from 2021. Generation in Europe fell 3%, while North America, Latin America, and the Middle East saw increases of 2.6%, 3%, and 1.5%, respectively. Power demand across Africa remained roughly flat, at around 3% of global generation.
Solar capacity additions
Ten markets were responsible for 78% of all solar capacity added in 2022. Mainland China alone added 107 gigawatts, accounting for 42% of the global. Brazil, India and Vietnam are developing economies where solar has boomed in recent years.
Wind capacity additions
Wind installations are concentrated in a relatively small number of economies, the top 10 of which accounted for 85% of global capacity additions in 2022. Mainland China represented 55% of all wind built, while the US, the second-biggest market, comprised 10% of the total capacity added.