Global Trends in Renewable Energy Investment report 2019

A Decade of Renewable Energy Investment Led by Solar

Global investment in new renewable energy capacity from 2010 to 2019 is on course to hit USD 2.6 trillion by the end of this year, with more gigawatts of solar power capacity installed than any other generation technology. This investment is set to have roughly quadrupled renewable energy capacity (excluding large hydro) from 414 GW at the end of 2009 to 1,650 GW when the decade closes at the end of this year.

Overall, we note that these figures represent a small share of the overall economic transition required to address climate change. The stock of fossil fuel power already installed, and those added this decade, has helped renewables, excluding large hydro, raise their share of global electricity generation, from 11.6 percent in 2017 to 12.9% in 2018. Were it not for this green power, world carbon dioxide emissions last year would have been an estimated 2 gigatonnes greater. Nevertheless, global power-sector emissions are likely to have risen by at least 10 percent between the end of 2009 and 2019.