ASIA LEADS THE CHARGE IN GROWTH OF RENEWABLE ENERGY

In 2017, Asia accounted for nearly two-thirds of the worldwide increase in renewable energy generating capacity, according to a report published in April 2018 by the International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA). IRENA, an intergovernmental organization based in Abu Dhabi, reported that the global renewable energy capacity in 2017 was 2,179 GW— greater than the capacity of world’s coal powered plants, and approximately eight times Japan’s entire energy-generation capacity—an increase of 8% compared with the previous year. For Asia as a whole, including Central Asia, renewable energy capacity has nearly doubled over the past five years, reaching 918 GW in 2017. China and India were the biggest contributors to the increase. Asia’s thirdlargest producer of renewable energy is Japan, with a total capacity of 82 GW, rising 7 GW last year. Hydropower is driving renewable energy growth in Vietnam, Asia’s fourthlargest producer, with about 18 GW of capacity. The growth rate for renewable energy was rapid in Mongolia and Cambodia, albeit from a low base.

Source: asia.nikkei.com