Hydropower capacity reached 1,296 GW at the end of 2022, while hydropower generated 15.4% of global electricity. In the same period, renewable capacity grew 10.3% to 3,372 GW, showing steady momentum across the sector. Yet hydropower capacity growth slowed to 2% annually over the decade leading into 2022 as drought risk and grid constraints strain reliability.
Key Takeaways
- Global hydropower capacity was 1,296 GW end-2022.
- Global renewable energy capacity reached 3,372 GW at the end of 2022, a 10.3% increase from 2021.
- Global bioenergy capacity 150 GW end-2022.
- Global solar PV installed capacity reached 1,052 GW by end-2022.
- Global onshore wind capacity was 899 GW end-2022.
Renewables are steadily increasing their share of electricity generation, outpacing many conventional energy sources.
Related reading
01 · Category
Hydropower21 stats
01
Global hydropower capacity was 1,296 GW end-2022.
02
China has 422 GW hydropower capacity.
03
Brazil second with 110 GW.
04
Hydropower generated 15.4% of global electricity in 2022.
05
Pumped storage hydropower at 160 GW globally.
06
New hydropower additions 24 GW in 2022.
07
Hydropower LCOE averaged $0.061/kWh in 2022.
08
Hydropower jobs 2.3 million worldwide.
09
Asia hosts 64% of global hydropower capacity.
10
Small hydropower (<30MW) capacity 124 GW.
11
Hydropower capacity growth slowed to 2% annually 2012-2022.
12
Run-of-river projects increasing in development.
13
Hydropower provided 4,100 TWh in 2022.
14
Droughts reduced output by 10% in some regions 2022-2023.
15
Modernization upgrades add 20 GW capacity yearly.
16
Hydropower flexibility key for grid stability, ramping 5-10%/min.
17
Investment in hydro $50 billion annually.
18
Capacity factor averages 40-50% for hydro.
19
Over 3,700 GW untapped hydro potential globally.
20
Africa has 300 GW developable potential.
21
Latin America 170 GW untapped.
Interpretation
Hydropower Interpretation
While hydropower remains the mature backbone of global renewables, providing immense capacity and grid stability, its growth is paradoxically slowing just as climate-driven droughts expose its vulnerability and a vast untapped potential, particularly in Africa and Latin America, waits on the table.
02 · Category
Industry Overview30 stats
01
Global renewable energy capacity reached 3,372 GW at the end of 2022, a 10.3% increase from 2021.
02
Renewables accounted for 30% of global electricity generation in 2022.
03
Investment in renewables reached $495 billion in 2022.
04
Solar PV capacity grew by 230 GW in 2022, representing 62% of all new capacity added.
05
Wind capacity additions totaled 77 GW in 2022.
06
Hydropower capacity stood at 1,296 GW end of 2022.
07
Bioenergy capacity was 150 GW in 2022.
08
Global renewable employment reached 12.7 million jobs in 2022.
09
China led with 1,447 GW renewable capacity in 2022.
10
Europe had 761 GW renewable capacity end 2022.
11
Renewables capacity is expected to double by 2026 to over 7,300 GW.
12
Cost of solar PV fell 89% between 2010 and 2022.
13
Wind onshore LCOE down 60% since 2010.
14
Global solar PV capacity hit 1,052 GW in 2022.
15
Annual growth rate of renewables averaged 9.6% from 2012-2022.
16
Renewables generated 29.4% of global electricity in 2023.
17
Utility-scale solar deployment grew 32% in 2023.
18
Offshore wind capacity reached 64 GW globally in 2023.
19
LCOE for solar PV averaged $0.049/kWh in 2022.
20
Fixed-bottom offshore wind LCOE at $0.075/kWh in 2022.
21
Solar jobs numbered 4.3 million globally in 2022.
22
Wind employed 1.3 million people in 2022.
23
Hydropower jobs at 2.3 million in 2022.
24
Bioenergy sector had 3.5 million jobs.
25
Renewables investment forecast to hit $2 trillion annually by 2030.
26
Share of renewables in power generation to reach 45% by 2028.
27
Cumulative renewable capacity needs to triple by 2030 for net zero.
28
Developing countries added 82% of new renewable capacity in 2022.
29
Asia accounted for 73% of global renewable capacity additions in 2022.
30
Global solar PV capacity surpassed 1,000 GW in 2022.
Interpretation
Industry Overview Interpretation
While the numbers prove we're sprinting towards a cleaner grid at a blistering pace, they also whisper the sobering reminder that we're still only at the starting line of the marathon needed to truly power down the planet.
03 · Category
Other Renewables20 stats
01
Global bioenergy capacity 150 GW end-2022.
02
Geothermal capacity 15.4 GW globally.
03
Bioenergy generated 600 TWh in 2022.
04
Modern bioenergy LCOE $0.076/kWh.
05
Geothermal LCOE $0.056/kWh in 2022.
06
Bioenergy jobs 3.5 million.
07
Geothermal jobs 40,000.
08
Concentrated Solar Thermal 6.5 GW.
09
Marine energy capacity negligible at 0.5 GW.
10
Solid biomass dominates bioenergy at 80% share.
11
Biogas plants over 100,000 globally.
12
Geothermal growth 3% annually 2012-2022.
13
Bioenergy capacity added 7 GW in 2022.
14
US geothermal at 3.7 GW.
15
Indonesia geothermal potential 29 GW.
16
Biomethane production up 20% to 4.5 bcm in 2022.
17
Waste-to-energy capacity 40 GW globally.
18
Ocean energy R&D investment $1 billion annually.
19
Bioenergy provides 10% of global energy.
20
Enhanced geothermal systems (EGS) pilots scaling.
Interpretation
Other Renewables Interpretation
The bioenergy sector, a workhorse generating 10% of the world's energy and supporting 3.5 million jobs, shows its practical but pricey heft, while the nimble geothermal industry hums along at a cheaper rate, reminding us that steady, deep heat and a lot of biomass can be just as revolutionary as chasing the latest shiny tech.
More related reading
04 · Category
Solar Energy25 stats
01
Global solar PV installed capacity reached 1,052 GW by end-2022.
02
Solar PV accounted for 62% of net renewable capacity additions in 2022.
03
China added 87 GW of solar PV in 2022.
04
India installed 10 GW solar PV in 2022.
05
Utility-scale solar PV LCOE fell to $0.049/kWh globally in 2022.
06
Rooftop solar LCOE averaged $0.110/kWh in 2022.
07
Solar PV module prices dropped 31% year-on-year in 2022.
08
Global solar PV manufacturing capacity exceeded 1 TW in 2023.
09
US added 32.4 GW solar in 2023, up 52% from 2022.
10
Distributed solar in US reached 7.3 GW in 2023.
11
Europe installed 56 GW solar PV in 2022.
12
Germany added 48 GW solar in 2023.
13
Solar PV capacity factor averaged 18-25% globally.
14
Bifacial solar modules now represent 60% of shipments.
15
Concentrated Solar Power (CSP) capacity at 6.5 GW end-2022.
16
Solar thermal capacity stood at 512 GWth in 2022.
17
Global solar jobs reached 4.3 million in 2022, with 2.8M in PV.
18
China hosted 3 million solar jobs in 2022.
19
Solar investment hit $273 billion in 2022.
20
PERC modules to be phased out by 2025, TOPCon to dominate.
21
Floating solar capacity grew to 13 GW by 2023.
22
Agrivoltaics projects increased 20% in 2023.
23
Solar PV expected to add 900 GW annually by 2030.
24
Module efficiency hit 24.6% for commercial panels in 2023.
25
Global solar capacity forecast to reach 4,500 GW by 2028.
Interpretation
Solar Energy Interpretation
The solar industry's numbers are painting a sun-drenched picture where falling prices and surging installations prove we're finally getting serious about harnessing our star, yet the real challenge ahead is storing all that brilliant, intermittent power for when we actually need it.
05 · Category
Wind Energy22 stats
01
Global onshore wind capacity was 899 GW end-2022.
02
Offshore wind capacity totaled 64 GW end-2022.
03
China added 38 GW onshore wind in 2022.
04
Global wind additions reached 77 GW in 2022.
05
Onshore wind LCOE averaged $0.033/kWh in 2022.
06
Fixed offshore wind LCOE at $0.075/kWh.
07
Floating offshore wind LCOE $0.109/kWh in 2022.
08
Global wind installations hit 94 GW in 2023.
09
Europe added 23 GW onshore and 4 GW offshore in 2023.
10
US installed 6.5 GW onshore wind in 2023.
11
Average turbine capacity rose to 3.4 MW onshore.
12
Offshore turbine average 13 MW in 2023.
13
Wind jobs totaled 1.3 million globally in 2022.
14
China had 750,000 wind jobs.
15
Investment in wind reached $153 billion in 2022.
16
Capacity factors for onshore wind averaged 34%.
17
Offshore wind capacity factors up to 50%.
18
Global offshore pipeline exceeds 250 GW.
19
Wind expected to add 620 GW by 2028.
20
Rotor diameters grew to 160m average onshore.
21
Hub heights increased to 110m onshore.
22
UK leads offshore with 14 GW installed.
Interpretation
Wind Energy Interpretation
While the winds of investment and innovation are blowing turbines to record sizes and costs to record lows, the industry's anchor remains firmly in China, which single-handedly employs more people in wind than the rest of the world combined.
Reference
Cite This Report
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APA
Lukas Bauer. (2026, February 13). Renewable Energy Industry Statistics. Gitnux. https://gitnux.org/renewable-energy-industry-statistics
MLA
Lukas Bauer. "Renewable Energy Industry Statistics." Gitnux, 13 Feb 2026, https://gitnux.org/renewable-energy-industry-statistics.
Chicago
Lukas Bauer. 2026. "Renewable Energy Industry Statistics." Gitnux. https://gitnux.org/renewable-energy-industry-statistics.
Sources & references
15 datasets cited across this report · attribution is report-level