Two thousand and twenty was the year in which renewable energy production capacity grew at the fastest pace since the beginning of the century, increasing 45% over the previous year, the International Energy Agency (IEA) reported Tuesday.
The growth of 280 gigawatts by 2020 was partly driven by a rush to complete green projects, heavily fueled by state support from the governments of China, the US and Vietnam.
According to the Paris-based energy observatory, renewables were the only energy source for which demand increased last year, compared to fossil fuels, which were heavily damaged economically by the pandemic.
Based on this data, the IEA has updated its growth forecasts for 2021 and 2022 by about 25%, with an increase of 270 gigawatts expected this year and 280 gigawatts next year.
This good news comes just a few months before the United Nations World Conference in Glasgow, UK, the largest gathering of countries worldwide, where governments commit to sign their Nationally Determined Contributions in order to mitigate emissions.
