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Green Energy Statistics

Traditional energy sources have created adverse effects on the environment. Due to rising awareness about climate change and its devasting effects, many governments are switching to green energy.

Green or renewable energy comes from natural, environmentally-sources that reduce carbon emissions in the environment. In addition, current global energy crises are also pushing people towards green energy. Globally, electricity generation from renewable sources is expected to grow by 8% in 2022 and 2023 (IEA, 2022).

The best way to introduce green energy on a large scale is through political support. Furthermore, individuals can also start using these green renewable sources in their homes. If you want to learn more about energy that is environmentally friendly, here are some important green energy statistics.

Green Energy Trends In The Upcoming Years

As mentioned before, there is a rising awareness of climate change; therefore, many governments around the world are implementing green energy practices. Here are some important green energy trends to look forward to in the future.

The UK has set a new goal for wind power generation in 2023. The goal highlights 87% of wind power generation in the year that will be supplied to the national power grid (theguardian, 2022).
In the UK, renewable energy capacity is set to increase by 30% in 2024. The majority of this capacity is set to come from offshore wind power (eco-act, 2023).
2023 will mark the continued growth of renewables. Many experts forecast high levels of technological advancements in key renewable industries (think.ing, 2021). We more innovation, we can expect renewable energy to become even more accessible in the future.
By 2023, the UK aims to generate 100% of its energy from renewable energy sources. This large-scale effort will decarbonise the region’s energy emissions (spglobal, 2021). This goal would provide a more affordable energy source in the face of rising gas and electricity prices.

Global Green Energy Statistics

Many governments worldwide are adopting green energy as it reduces dependence on fossil fuels. Fossil fuels have become increasingly expensive and are posing a significant threat to the environment.

To combat this problem, many leaders and organisations worldwide have made major steps towards implementing green energy on a larger scale. Here are some important statistics that highlight global green energy statistics.

As mentioned before, green energy is steadily rising every year, with 2022 producing almost 320 GW of energy from renewable energy sources (IEA, 2022). This number is steadily rising every year; therefore, we can expect an even bigger shift in the future. With more people using green energy, the accessibility of this power could also increase in the future.
The current global projections for renewable energy sources indicate a 30% increase since 2006. This figure is expected to jump even higher by 2030 (mckinsey, 2023). With these statistics, we can track the awareness and demand for renewable energy sources. Since 2006 there have been low levels of interest generated this type of energy however, in 2015, there was a boom in demand for renewable energy. Since then, the need for renewable energy sources has been steadily increasing. With this demand, people can expect better access to renewable energy sources in the future.
Green energy’s record-breaking growth was the catalyst for more renewable installation ins 2022. In 2021, there was a 6% growth in the use of green energy leading to an 8% increase in installed capacity in 2022 (weforum, 2022). While this number might seem small, it shows that positive steps are being taken to introduce green energy on a larger scale.
In 2021, China was leading the shift towards green energy with over 1,020 GW of installed renewable energy capacity (statista, 2023). Other countries leading this change include:

United States: 325 GW
Brazil: 160 GW
India: 147 GW
Germany: 138 GW
Japan: 112 GW

With this figure, we can see which countries are leading the shift towards global green power. Since there are several countries producing a large amount of energy through renewable energy, we can expect to see a reduction in carbon emissions.

While there are multiple renewable energy sources, solar and wind take the lead in this category. Between 2006 and 2030, the demand for solar energy is expected to grow 30 times more. On the other hand, the demand for wind power is projected to be 4 times higher than the demand in 2006 (mckinsey, 2023). While the number on their own might not seem significant, they indicate a sharp increase in interest for wind and solar energy sources. When compared to demand rates in 2006, there has been a sharp increase in the need for such energy sources. This proves extremely beneficial for the fight against climate change and the need for clean energy sources.
In 2020, green renewable accounted for 29% of the electricity generated globally, with the majority coming from hydropower (16.8%). In total, a record-breaking amount of 256 GW of renewable power capacity was added globally in 2020 (c2es, 2023). As mentioned before, the demand for renewable energy sources is on an upward trend; therefore, we can expect more and more renewables becoming readily available in the future.

Green Energy Statistics By Country

Even though there are several countries implementing green energy, some are much ahead in their initiatives than others. Here is a glance at green energy statistics by country.

In the UK, government legislatures aim for a net zero future by 2050. To reach this goal, the government is setting target providers so that all electricity comes from 100% zero-carbon generation by 2035 (nationalgrid, 2023). One of the best ways to make a real change toward reducing carbon emissions is by making large-scale changes to the energy infrastructure. With governments adopting renewable energy as one of the main power sources, people should expect better access to this power in the future. With more and more people moving towards renewable energy sources, we can expect a significant decrease in climate change.
Sweden is on track to reach 100% green energy by 2040. The country reached 50% by 2012 through a combination of hydropower and bioenergy (sweden.se, 2022). Sweden is a great example of a country using its natural resources to make a complete shift toward green energy. With the country reaching 50% capacity in 2012, they are close to achieving 100% green energy soon. Even with high energy demand, Sweden can maintain low energy prices and carbon emissions by fully switching to green energy.
In 2021, Costa Rica achieved 98% electricity generation from renewable energy sources. This marks the 7th year the country utilised its natural resources to provide energy to its population. Costa Rica uses a combination of solar, wind, and geothermal power as their green energy source (ticotimes, 2021),
Between 2011 and 2020, Scotland increased their green energy capacity by 60%. In 2020, over 90% of the region’s electricity came from renewable energy sources (bbc, 2021).
In the first half of 2022, 49% of Germany’s electricity came from green power sources (reuters, 2021). The country has also set a target of reaching 80% renewable power by 2030 and 100% by 2035 (cleanenergywire, 2021). With these figures, we can track Germany’s journey towards complete green energy.
In Ireland, there has been a steady phasing out of coal energy. In 2000, 7 TWh of electricity produced came from coal energy. In 2021, this number dropped down to 4 TWh (ourworldindata, 2021). Ireland has always produced a low amount of electricity from coal power; however, these are still a slow phasing out this energy source in exchange for renewable energy. Even though the number itself is small, the downward trend indicated a promising shift towards renewable energy sources.

Green Energy Statistics In The UK And Ireland

Alongside several other countries, the UK and Ireland have also made significant strides toward adopting green energy. However, the level of advancement is not even throughout the region.

Some areas have made more significant progress, while others are gradually making their way toward adopting green energy. To get an in-depth detailed view of clean energy in the UK and Ireland, here are some important renewable energy statistics by region.

Green Energy Statistics - The UK

In the second quarter of 2022, the UK generated 30.5 TWh of renewable electricity. This marked a 12% increase from the same quarter last year. A strong increase in wind energy generation contributed to this figure (govuk, 2022). 2022 marks a record-breaking year in terms of renewable energy generation in the UK. Wind energy contributed significantly to this record; therefore, this is a key area that the government should invest in. With more wind power farms throughout the region, renewable energy generation can reach a new high in the upcoming years.
To understand the increase in renewables, it is also important to track the use of coal power. Between 2000 and 2021, the UK significantly decreased its coal energy usage. In 2000, coal energy produced 120 TWh of energy, but in 2021, only 6 TWh was produced (ourworldindata, 2021). This chart shows us that there has been a steady phasing out of coal power in the UK. By following this trend, we can expect to see an even more steep decline in the use of coal energy in the UK.
Additionally, only 0.7% of coal energy was used in November 2022. At this time, five years ago, coal usage was 11.3% (nationalgrideso, 2022). This is another important figure that shows a steady decline in coal usage in the UK. The rate of reduction between 2022 and 2017 deems promising for the future of green energy in the region.
At the end of 2021, approximately 7,206 MW of green energy capacity was generated through 1 million renewable installations. This marked a 3.1% increase from the end of 2020 (govuk, 2022).
By the end of 2021, 39.9% of the electricity generated in the UK came from renewable power sources. In comparison, 16.8% of the electricity came from nuclear energy, and coal energy accounted for 2.5% of the power source. (govuk, 2022). With this figure, we can see that most of the electricity provided in the UK comes from renewable energy sources.
In April 2021, the UK achieved its lowest-ever carbon intensity amounting to 39 grams of CO2 per kWh. This occurred due to the reduced use of fossil fuels for energy generation (nationalgrid, 2021).
The Covid-19 pandemic also contributed to the use of renewable energy sources in the UK. As lockdown restrictions were eased, there was an increase in petrol consumption (govuk, 2022). This statistics provides a key area where change must happen. An increase in petroleum energy could be linked to more people using standard transportation. To combat this rise, it is important to invest in electric cars as this will significantly cut down carbon emissions.
With more electricity generated from renewables, the capacity for this energy source has also increased in the UK. The current renewable capacity in Q2 of 2022 is at 3.2 GW. This marks a 6.5% increase from last year’s Q2. The majority of this new capacity comes from offshore wind farms. Onshore wind farms (0.4% and solar energy (0.3%) also contributed to this capacity (govuk, 2022). This is another strong indicator for the future of renewable energy in the UK. Governments should improve and increase offshore wind energy to increase the capacity of this power source.
Regarding the amount of green energy produced, the UK has been close to producing its trillionth kilowatt hour of renewable energy since 1970. Even though it took 47 years (between 1970 to 2017) to produce the first half of the trillion, it will take only 6 years to produce the second of the trillion by 2023 (nationalgrid, 2023). The speed at which the UK is advancing towards more green energy is incredibly promising for the future. With this comparison between the years, we track the advancement toward cleaner energy sources.

Green Energy Statistics - England

Apart from proving positive environmental effects, green energy is also great for economic growth. In 2022, over 2.2% of all UK jobs were listed as “green,” with one-third of these opportunities located in London (theguardian, 2022).
The overall renewable capacity was up by 3.7% at the end of 2021. In England, this capacity increased from 47.9 to 49.7 (govuk, 2022) This figure shows a steady increase in the capacity of renewable energy sources. To increase England's demand for renewable energy sources, authorities must keep driving this number forward. Since this region is densely populated, investing in a combination of renewable energy sources would be highly beneficial in the long run.
By the end of 2021, England had generated over 83,090 GWh of electricity from renewable energy sources. This marked a significant increase from 2011 (17,869 GWh) (govuk, 2022). In 10 years, England could more than double its renewable energy generation with various renewables. This highlights a positive trend that can be used to increase this total in the future further. With more innovative renewable energy technology, it is possible to increase the growth rate even more in the upcoming 10 years.
In general, England performs much better than any other region in the UK in terms of renewables. England has the highest renewable capacity, accounting for more than two and a half times that of Scotland. The biggest contributors to this energy capacity were solar and offshore wind power (govuk, 2022). With this statistic, we can see that England benefits from solar and wind power, therefore, efforts should be made to increase the capacity of these energy sources. Investing in high-quality and innovative components is important to increase renewable energy sources' capacity.
Bioenergy is also on the rise in England. Overall, in the UK, bioenergy experienced a 1.3 rise at the end of 2021. England contributed to 85% of this growth (govuk, 2022). Even though this is not a major increase compared to wind and solar power, it shows a potential area to invest in. in case of weather disturbances, bioenergy is an excellent alternative source for renewable energy. Bioenergy is also a great way to reduce carbon emissions from the environment. This energy source is highly crucial if the UK wants to achieve net zero emissions in the future.

Green Energy Statistics - Scotland

In the first half of 2022, Scotland generated approximately 18,568 GW of renewable energy, showing a 29.2% increase from the same quarter in 2021. This increase in capacity was due to higher wind speeds and rainfalls affecting the country’s wind and hydropower generation. (gov.scot, 2022. This statistic shows where Scotland’s strength lies in terms of green power. By improving the infrastructure of wind farms and hydro energy plants, more power can be generated through green energy sources.
Even in the past years, Scotland experienced a steady increase in power derived from green energy sources. The overall electricity generated from renewables in Scotland amounted to 27,530 GWh by the end of 2021. Wind power was the biggest power source contributing to this amount, providing approximately 19,890 GWh (govuk, 2023). Just like other regions in the UK, Scotland should also invest more resources in improving its wind power farms as this will allow even bigger renewable energy generation.
Scotland’s renewable energy capacity increased by 10.5% between June 2021 to June 2022. This indicated a growth rate four times the capacity seen between June 2020 and June 2021. During this period, only 2.2% of growth was seen. (gov.scot, 2022). A significant rise in renewable electricity capacity is a great indicator of the effectiveness of renewables. This figure shows that improving the renewable energy infrastructure can lead to many benefits in the future.
Government legislations and organisations in Scotland have made impactful steps towards adopting more green energy. The country is set to increase its onshore wind capacity to 20 GW by 2030 to achieve net zero status. (gov.scot, 2022). Scotland is taking advantage of its high wind power to generate more green energy. This is a great example of how other countries can use their natural resources to generate green energy and cut back on fossil fuel dependency.
Apart from creating more renewable infrastructure, Scotland has also made efforts to improve energy efficiency on an individual level. In 2021/2022, local organisations and authorities allocated over £482 million to fund programs that improve energy efficiency in households. These programs aim to install more renewables in homes for green energy generation. (gov.scot, 2022). This is a great way to improve overall energy efficiency and increase awareness about green energy. Such programs are a great way to increase renewable installation at home.

Green Energy Statistics - Northern Ireland

Between October 2021 and September 2022, 49.3% of Northern Ireland’s electricity consumption was generated from green renewable energy sources in the country. This figure highlights a 7.2% increase from the previous 12 months between 2020 to 2021. (economy-ni, 2022). A 7% increase in 12 months shows a promising trend for the future of green energy in Northern Ireland. With better renewable infrastructure, the country can increase its renewable energy generation in the coming years.
At the end of 2021, the overall capacity of renewable energy was up by 4.4%in Northern Ireland (govuk, 2021). The Northern Ireland region also saw a great expansion in their renewable energy capacity by the end of 2021. Their capacity had a slight increase compared to the renewables in England. This increase was due to more energy generation through wind power.
Northern Ireland is making great efforts to match their renewable energy generation to the amount of energy consumed in the country. Between September 2022 to October 2021, around 7,550 GWh of total electricity was consumed in Northern Ireland. During the same period, approximately 3,725 GWh was generated from green energy sources. This marked a record-breaking volume of energy generated from renewable sources (govuk, 2022.). While the amount of energy consumed is not equal to the volume generated, NI is taking great steps to bridge this gap in order to only use electricity generated from renewable energy sources. With more wind power infrastructure and accessibility, it is possible to make more energy than consumed in the region.
Two of the major contributors to Northern Ireland’s renewables were onshore wind power and bioenergy. Out of these two sources, wind energy came out on top, with onshore wind power increasing by 18% in one year (govuk, 2022). This increase highlights the importance of wind power in Northern Ireland. Increasing the number of onshore wind farms and adding more innovative engineering could further increase this capacity in the upcoming years.

Green Energy Statistics - Wales

Over 55% of Welsh energy consumption comes from renewable energy sources. The majority of this generation comes from Solar PV and heat pump installation (govwales, 2021). Just as with other regions in the UK, Wales is also using its natural resources to good use by investing in more green energy infrastructure. This infrastructure was responsible for over half of the region’s energy consumption showing potential for further growth in the future.
The overall capacity of renewable energy sources installed by the end of 2021 was more than double those installed in 2020. However, this installation rate is more than 90% lower than the peak rate in 2015 (govwales, 2021). Even though Wales has made a significant effort to implement more renewable infrastructure, the installation rate has dropped down significantly. Governments need to prioritise these energy sources for a cleaner and carbon-free future.
Despite the low rate of renewable infrastructure installation, the Welsh government is taking active steps toward improving its renewable energy consumption. The government has set targets to produce almost 70% of its electricity from renewable sources by 2030 (govwales, 2021).
Additionally, the Welsh government is aiming to own locally at least 1 GW of renewable electricity and heat capacity by 2030. Furthermore, the government also want to expand its renewable energy through public organisation and community groups by over 100 MW by 2026. (research.senedd.wales, na). Locally sourced renewable energy will give the government better control over its production and distribution.

Green Energy Statistics - Ireland

Renewables had a record-breaking year in Ireland in 2022. Renewable energy sources provided 53% of Ireland’s electricity in February of this year. (Gridbeyond, 2022). This figure shows a promising future for renewables in Ireland. Government should try to increase the capacity of renewable energy infrastructure to keep building on this momentum in the upcoming years.
Ireland has a large and growing installed wind power infrastructure. Wind energy will be responsible for 21% of Ireland’s electricity in July 2022. (thinkbusiness, 2022). According to this report, we can see that wind power has major potential in terms of increasing the country’s renewable energy generation. Due to their geographical location, wind farms present a key investment opportunity for the government to reach its net zero target.
Even though Ireland has a growing renewable energy industry, there are some concerns regarding energy consumption in the country. Expert forecasts energy consumption in 2022, reaching pre-pandemic levels in 2019. Energy-related carbon emissions increased by 5.4% in 2021 due to an overall increase in energy use. This consumption also came from carbon-intense fuels (seai, 2022). With this figure, we can see that there needs to be a stronger push toward renewable energy in Ireland. Even though the region was making good progress toward energy efficiency, easing lockdown restrictions has increased carbon emissions. Ireland has the infrastructure to improve its use of green energy therefore, with more effort, it is possible to overcome such problems in the future.
In November 2022, Ireland hosted a renewable energy conference to make green energy more accessible in the region. The conference aims to introduce zero-carbon technologies that can be installed quickly and improve renewable energy generation. (events.windenergy, 2021). This conference is a great way to generate funding for more accessible green energy. With this initiative, the Irish government and local organisation can improve renewable energy generation in the future.
Ireland is utilising various renewables to hit its energy targets in the upcoming years. This includes renewable transport fuel. Biodiesel accounted for 87.6% of transport’s renewable energy use in 2020. Bioethanol also made up 11% of vehicle fuel (SEAI, 2023). This presents another way for governments to use more renewables and drive up clean energy use. In busy cities and regions with a lot of motor vehicle traffic, increasing renewable fuel use can significantly reduce carbon emissions.
Apart from powering up gridlines and generating electricity, wind energy has provided several other benefits in Ireland. Due to high wind energy generation, the average wholesale electricity decreased to 136.27 euros in October 2022. This was a significant decrease from September of that same year, with electricity costing 283.25 euros. On days with the highest wind power generation, the price fell even further to 67.58 euros (windenergyireland, 2021).

Green Energy Statistics According To The Type Of Renewable Source

Green energy often acts as an umbrella term that combines several renewable energy sources. Most of these sources are naturally available in the environment and cleaner, making them a much more ideal choice than carbon-heavy fossil fuels.

Each source comes with multiple benefits and uses. Here are some important green energy statistics according to renewable energy sources.

Wind Power

For countries with a higher altitude and offshore land mass, wind power is a great option. Wind power uses its geographical location and high wind speeds to generate clean energy. Here are facts about this renewable energy source

In 2022, the wind became one of the most important renewable energy sources in the UK. With coal power being slowly phased out, more funding is being allocated toward improving this energy source (statista, 2022).
The current combined wind power generation in the UK stands at 75.3 TWh (statista, 2022).
Almost 40% of the total wind that moves across Europe hits the UK, making it one of the windiest regions on this continent. However, this also makes the UK an ideal location for offshore and onshore wind farms (utilitybiller, 2023) With better wind power infrastructure, the UK can greatly increase its renewable energy capacity. In addition, the region can also supply excess wind energy to other regions for more energy efficiency worldwide.
In 2022, Wind power generated enough electricity to power two-thirds of homes in the UK. The combined energy from both onshore and offshore wind farms created 25.5 GW of electricity to power 19 million households a year (renewableuk, 2022). With this statistic, we can highlight one of the most important uses for renewable energy. Renewable energy, especially wind energy, is extremely beneficial to power homes in the UK. With a more innovative wind power infrastructure, it is possible to power almost half the region’s households.
Between 2009 and 2020, the electricity generated from wind power in the UK increased by 715% (govuk, 2021). This figure indicates a steady growth of wind power in the UK, leading to a potential higher generation in the future.

Solar Power

One of the most common renewable energy worldwide is solar power. Apart from electricity, solar power is also an effective way to heat buildings and provide hot water. Here are some important statistics on solar energy.

There were a record number of solar panel installations in the UK in 2022. This increase the capacity of solar energy to 556 MW. This growth is expected to carry on into 2023 as well (solarpowerportal, 2022). This trend is very promising for the future of solar and renewable energy. With government funding and innovative technology, we can easily improve the solar energy infrastructure to make them more efficient and cost-effective in the future. The government should also raise awareness about this energy source to reduce fossil fuel dependency.
At any given moment, 173,000 terawatts (TW) of solar energy strikes the earth. This energy is 10,000 times more than the world’s total energy use during the same time period. For a better perspective, the world’s current population consumes approximately 23,900 terawatt-hours (TWh) of power each year. Most of this energy is generated through fossil fuels (theecoexperts,2021).
When it comes to the type of installation, most solar panel installations are residential. 79% of the newly installed solar panels were 4kW or under. These installations increased the residential solar energy capacity to 43MW by June 2022 (smartenergy, 2022).
The global total solar photovoltaic capacity has experienced steady growth since 2000. In 2021, global cumulative solar energy capacity amounted to 940 GW, with approximately 168 GW of new solar PV installed in the same year (statista, 2023). Solar energy is currently on track to reach an even higher number in the future; With more and more people using solar power, there will be an increased push toward renewable energy.

Hydro Power

Hydro power or hydroelectric power uses the flow of water in rivers, dams, and other such areas to produce electricity. This type of green energy is not as common but is quickly gaining popularity in several parts of the world.

Since this natural resource is widely available, many governments are aiming to build hydroelectric infrastructure to generate more green power from this source. Here are some important facts about hydro power.

In 2022, hydro power generation in the UK increased by 9%, amounting to 0.7 TWh. This marked a steady growth rate compared to last year’s hydro power generation (govuk, 2022).
Across England, Wales, and Scotland, hydroelectric generates 1.65 GW of energy which accounts for 1.8% of the UK’s national capacity (congletonhydro, 2023).
In 2021, hydro electricity reached a generation of 32 GW worldwide, which was 50% higher than the average energy rate in the previous five years (IEA, 2022). Even though recent flooding has slightly decreased the rate of global hydro electricity, this is a great renewable resource once used correctly, as it is widely available worldwide.

With these statistics, we can see that green energy is a viable investment that will provide many long-term benefits. Using a combination of natural resources can generate enough energy to replace fossil fuels and cut down on carbon emissions fully.