Addition to renewables capacity was 45% greater than prior year’s gain, marking biggest jump since 1999

Renewable power capacity grew at its fastest pace this century in 2020, the International Energy Agency said Tuesday, raising its growth forecast for wind and solar power for this year and next.

According to the Paris-based energy watchdog, renewables were the only energy source for which demand increased last year, with Covid-19 lockdowns hitting consumption of all other fuels as government restrictions shut factories, grounded planes and kept people at home.

The addition to the world’s renewable electricity capacity last year was 45% more than in the prior year—the biggest jump since 1999—as wind and solar farms sprang up across the world’s major economies, the IEA said in a report. The increase of 280 gigawatts in 2020 was partly driven by a rush to complete projects before government subsidies elapsed in China, the U.S. and Vietnam.

The IEA raised its 2021 and 2022 growth forecasts by around 25%, with an addition of 270 gigawatts in capacity expected this year and 280 gigawatts next year.

https://www.wsj.com/articles/wind-solar-power-made-strong-gains-in-2020-iea-says-11620709200