Energy
Mapped: Solar Power by Country in 2021
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Mapped: Solar Power by Country in 2021
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The world is adopting renewable energy at an unprecedented pace, and solar power is the energy source leading the way.
Despite a 4.5% fall in global energy demand in 2020, renewable energy technologies showed promising progress. While the growth in renewables was strong across the board, solar power led from the front with 127 gigawatts installed in 2020, its largest-ever annual capacity expansion.
The above infographic uses data from the International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA) to map solar power capacity by country in 2021. This includes both solar photovoltaic (PV) and concentrated solar power capacity.
The Solar Power Leaderboard
From the Americas to Oceania, countries in virtually every continent (except Antarctica) added more solar to their mix last year. Here’s a snapshot of solar power capacity by country at the beginning of 2021:
| Country | Installed capacity, megawatts | Watts* per capita | % of world total |
|---|---|---|---|
| China 🇨🇳 | 254,355 | 147 | 35.6% |
| U.S. 🇺🇸 | 75,572 | 231 | 10.6% |
| Japan 🇯🇵 | 67,000 | 498 | 9.4% |
| Germany 🇩🇪 | 53,783 | 593 | 7.5% |
| India 🇮🇳 | 39,211 | 32 | 5.5% |
| Italy 🇮🇹 | 21,600 | 345 | 3.0% |
| Australia 🇦🇺 | 17,627 | 637 | 2.5% |
| Vietnam 🇻🇳 | 16,504 | 60 | 2.3% |
| South Korea 🇰🇷 | 14,575 | 217 | 2.0% |
| Spain 🇪🇸 | 14,089 | 186 | 2.0% |
| United Kingdom 🇬🇧 | 13,563 | 200 | 1.9% |
| France 🇫🇷 | 11,733 | 148 | 1.6% |
| Netherlands 🇳🇱 | 10,213 | 396 | 1.4% |
| Brazil 🇧🇷 | 7,881 | 22 | 1.1% |
| Turkey 🇹🇷 | 6,668 | 73 | 0.9% |
| South Africa 🇿🇦 | 5,990 | 44 | 0.8% |
| Taiwan 🇹🇼 | 5,817 | 172 | 0.8% |
| Belgium 🇧🇪 | 5,646 | 394 | 0.8% |
| Mexico 🇲🇽 | 5,644 | 35 | 0.8% |
| Ukraine 🇺🇦 | 5,360 | 114 | 0.8% |
| Poland 🇵🇱 | 3,936 | 34 | 0.6% |
| Canada 🇨🇦 | 3,325 | 88 | 0.5% |
| Greece 🇬🇷 | 3,247 | 258 | 0.5% |
| Chile 🇨🇱 | 3,205 | 142 | 0.4% |
| Switzerland 🇨🇭 | 3,118 | 295 | 0.4% |
| Thailand 🇹🇭 | 2,988 | 43 | 0.4% |
| United Arab Emirates 🇦🇪 | 2,539 | 185 | 0.4% |
| Austria 🇦🇹 | 2,220 | 178 | 0.3% |
| Czech Republic 🇨🇿 | 2,073 | 194 | 0.3% |
| Hungary 🇭🇺 | 1,953 | 131 | 0.3% |
| Egypt 🇪🇬 | 1,694 | 17 | 0.2% |
| Malaysia 🇲🇾 | 1,493 | 28 | 0.2% |
| Israel 🇮🇱 | 1,439 | 134 | 0.2% |
| Russia 🇷🇺 | 1,428 | 7 | 0.2% |
| Sweden 🇸🇪 | 1,417 | 63 | 0.2% |
| Romania 🇷🇴 | 1,387 | 71 | 0.2% |
| Jordan 🇯🇴 | 1,359 | 100 | 0.2% |
| Denmark 🇩🇰 | 1,300 | 186 | 0.2% |
| Bulgaria 🇧🇬 | 1,073 | 152 | 0.2% |
| Philippines 🇵🇭 | 1,048 | 9 | 0.1% |
| Portugal 🇵🇹 | 1,025 | 81 | 0.1% |
| Argentina 🇦🇷 | 764 | 17 | 0.1% |
| Pakistan 🇵🇰 | 737 | 6 | 0.1% |
| Morocco 🇲🇦 | 734 | 6 | 0.1% |
| Slovakia 🇸🇰 | 593 | 87 | 0.1% |
| Honduras 🇭🇳 | 514 | 53 | 0.1% |
| Algeria 🇩🇿 | 448 | 10 | 0.1% |
| El Salvador 🇸🇻 | 429 | 66 | 0.1% |
| Iran 🇮🇷 | 414 | 5 | 0.1% |
| Saudi Arabia 🇸🇦 | 409 | 12 | 0.1% |
| Finland 🇫🇮 | 391 | 39 | 0.1% |
| Dominican Republic 🇩🇴 | 370 | 34 | 0.1% |
| Peru 🇵🇪 | 331 | 10 | 0.05% |
| Singapore 🇸🇬 | 329 | 45 | 0.05% |
| Bangladesh 🇧🇩 | 301 | 2 | 0.04% |
| Slovenia 🇸🇮 | 267 | 128 | 0.04% |
| Uruguay 🇺🇾 | 256 | 74 | 0.04% |
| Yemen 🇾🇪 | 253 | 8 | 0.04% |
| Iraq 🇮🇶 | 216 | 5 | 0.03% |
| Cambodia 🇰🇭 | 208 | 12 | 0.03% |
| Cyprus 🇨🇾 | 200 | 147 | 0.03% |
| Panama 🇵🇦 | 198 | 46 | 0.03% |
| Luxembourg 🇱🇺 | 195 | 244 | 0.03% |
| Malta 🇲🇹 | 184 | 312 | 0.03% |
| Indonesia 🇮🇩 | 172 | 1 | 0.02% |
| Cuba 🇨🇺 | 163 | 14 | 0.02% |
| Belarus 🇧🇾 | 159 | 17 | 0.02% |
| Senegal 🇸🇳 | 155 | 8 | 0.02% |
| Norway 🇳🇴 | 152 | 17 | 0.02% |
| Lithuania 🇱🇹 | 148 | 37 | 0.02% |
| Namibia 🇳🇦 | 145 | 55 | 0.02% |
| New Zealand 🇳🇿 | 142 | 29 | 0.02% |
| Estonia 🇪🇪 | 130 | 98 | 0.02% |
| Bolivia 🇧🇴 | 120 | 10 | 0.02% |
| Oman 🇴🇲 | 109 | 21 | 0.02% |
| Colombia 🇨🇴 | 107 | 2 | 0.01% |
| Kenya 🇰🇪 | 106 | 2 | 0.01% |
| Guatemala 🇬🇹 | 101 | 6 | 0.01% |
| Croatia 🇭🇷 | 85 | 17 | 0.01% |
| World total 🌎 | 713,970 | 83 | 100.0% |
*1 megawatt = 1,000,000 watts.
China is the undisputed leader in solar installations, with over 35% of global capacity. What’s more, the country is showing no signs of slowing down. It has the world’s largest wind and solar project in the pipeline, which could add another 400,000MW to its clean energy capacity.
Following China from afar is the U.S., which recently surpassed 100,000MW of solar power capacity after installing another 50,000MW in the first three months of 2021. Annual solar growth in the U.S. has averaged an impressive 42% over the last decade. Policies like the solar investment tax credit, which offers a 26% tax credit on residential and commercial solar systems, have helped propel the industry forward.
Although Australia hosts a fraction of China’s solar capacity, it tops the per capita rankings due to its relatively low population of 26 million people. The Australian continent receives the highest amount of solar radiation of any continent, and over 30% of Australian households now have rooftop solar PV systems.
China: The Solar Champion
In 2020, President Xi Jinping stated that China aims to be carbon neutral by 2060, and the country is taking steps to get there.
China is a leader in the solar industry, and it seems to have cracked the code for the entire solar supply chain. In 2019, Chinese firms produced 66% of the world’s polysilicon, the initial building block of silicon-based photovoltaic (PV) panels. Furthermore, more than three-quarters of solar cells came from China, along with 72% of the world’s PV panels.
With that said, it’s no surprise that 5 of the world’s 10 largest solar parks are in China, and it will likely continue to build more as it transitions to carbon neutrality.
What’s Driving the Rush for Solar Power?
The energy transition is a major factor in the rise of renewables, but solar’s growth is partly due to how cheap it has become over time. Solar energy costs have fallen exponentially over the last decade, and it’s now the cheapest source of new energy generation.
Since 2010, the cost of solar power has seen a 85% decrease, down from $0.28 to $0.04 per kWh. According to MIT researchers, economies of scale have been the single-largest factor in continuing the cost decline for the last decade. In other words, as the world installed and made more solar panels, production became cheaper and more efficient.
This year, solar costs are rising due to supply chain issues, but the rise is likely to be temporary as bottlenecks resolve.
Energy
Visualizing U.S. Greenhouse Gas Emissions by Sector
The U.S. emits about 6 billion metric tons of greenhouse gases a year. Here’s how these emissions rank by sector.
Visualizing U.S. Emissions by Sector
Decarbonization efforts in the U.S. are ramping up, and in 2020, greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions were lower than at any point during the previous 30 years.
However there’s still work to be done before various organizations, states, and nationwide targets are met. And when looking at GHG emissions by sector, the data suggests that some groups have more work cut out for them than others.
This graphic from the National Public Utilities Council provides the key data and trends on the total emissions by U.S. sector since 1990.
The Highest Emitting Sectors
Collectively, the U.S. emitted 5,981 million metric tons (MMT) of CO2-equivalent (CO2e) emissions in 2020, which rose 6.1% in 2021.
Here’s how the various sectors in the U.S. compare.
| Sector | 2020 GHG emissions, MMT CO2e | Percentage of Total |
|---|---|---|
| Transportation | 1,627.6 | 27% |
| Electricity generation | 1,482.6 | 25% |
| Industry | 1,426.2 | 24% |
| Agriculture | 635.1 | 11% |
| Commercial | 425.3 | 7% |
| Residential | 362.0 | 6% |
| U.S. territories | 23.0 | <1% |
The transportation sector ranks highest by emissions and has been notably impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic, which is still affecting travel and supply chains. This has led to whipsawing figures during the last two years.
For instance, in 2020, the transportation sector’s emissions fell 15%, the steepest fall of any sector. But the largest increase in emissions in 2021 also came from transportation, which is largely credited to the economic and tourism recovery last year.
Following transportation, electricity generation accounted for a quarter of U.S. GHG emissions in 2020, with fossil fuel combustion making up nearly 99% of the sector’s emissions. The other 1% includes waste incineration and other power generation technologies like renewables and nuclear power, which produce emissions during the initial stages of raw material extraction and construction.
Decarbonizing the Power Sector
The Biden Administration has set a goal to make the U.S. power grid run on 100% clean energy by 2035—a key factor in achieving the country’s goal of net zero emissions by 2050.
Industrial factories, commercial buildings, and homes all consume electricity to power their machinery and appliances. Therefore, the power sector can help reduce their carbon footprint by supplying more clean electricity, although this largely depends on the availability of infrastructure for transmission.
Here’s how sectors would look if their respective electricity end-use is taken into account
| Sector | Emissions by Sector % of Total |
|---|---|
| Agriculture | 11% |
| Transportation | 27% |
| Industry | 30% |
| Residential & Commercial | 30% |
Percentages may not add up to 100% due to independent rounding
With these adjustments, the industrial, commercial, and residential sectors experience a notable jump, and lead ahead of other categories
Today, the bulk of electricity generation, 60%, comes from natural gas and coal-fired power plants, with nuclear, renewables, and other sources making up 40% of the total.
| Energy Source | 2020 Electric generation, billion kWh | Share of total |
|---|---|---|
| Natural Gas | 1,575 | 38.3% |
| Coal | 899 | 21.8% |
| Nuclear | 778 | 18.9% |
| Wind | 380 | 9.2% |
| Hydropower | 260 | 6.3% |
However, progress and notable strides have been made towards sustainable energy. In 2021, renewables accounted for one-fifth of U.S. electricity generation, roughly doubling their share since 2010.
Coal’s share as a source of electric power has dropped dramatically in recent years. And partially as a result, electricity generation has seen its portion of emissions successfully decrease by 21% , with overall emissions falling from 1,880 million metric tons of CO2 to 1,482 million metric tons.
How Utilities Can Lead the Way
Should these trends persist, the electricity generation sector has a chance to play a pivotal role in the broader decarbonization initiative. And with the bulk of electricity generation in the U.S. coming from investor-owned utilities (IOUs), this is a unique opportunity for IOUs to lead the transition toward cleaner energy.
The National Public Utilities Council is the go-to resource to learn how utilities can lead in the path towards decarbonization.
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Visualizing 10 Years of Global EV Sales by Country
Global EV sales have grown exponentially, more than doubling in 2021 to 6.8 million units. Here’s a look at EV sales by country since 2011.
Visualizing 10 Years of Global EV Sales by Country
This was originally posted on Elements. Sign up to the free mailing list to get beautiful visualizations on natural resource megatrends in your email every week.
In 2011, around 55,000 electric vehicles (EVs) were sold around the world. 10 years later in 2021, that figure had grown close to 7 million vehicles.
With many countries getting plugged into electrification, the global EV market has seen exponential growth over the last decade. Using data from the International Energy Agency (IEA), this infographic shows the explosion in global EV sales since 2011, highlighting the countries that have grown into the biggest EV markets.
The Early EV Days
From 2011 to 2015, global EV sales grew at an average annual rate of 89%, with roughly one-third of global sales occurring in the U.S. alone.
| Year | Total EV Sales | CAGR |
|---|---|---|
| 2011 | 55,414 | - |
| 2012 | 132,013 | 138.2% |
| 2013 | 220,343 | 66.9% |
| 2014 | 361,157 | 63.9% |
| 2015 | 679,235 | 88.0% |
| Total sales / Avg growth | 1,448,162 | 89.3% |
In 2014, the U.S. was the largest EV market followed by China, the Netherlands, Norway, and France. But things changed in 2015, when China’s EV sales grew by 238% relative to 2014, propelling it to the top spot.
China’s growth had been years in the making, with the government offering generous subsidies for electrified cars, in addition to incentives and policies that encouraged production. In 2016, Chinese consumers bought more EVs than the rest of the world combined—and the country hasn’t looked back, accounting for over half of global sales in 2021.
EV Sales by Country in 2021
After remaining fairly flat in 2019, global EV sales grew by 38% in 2020, and then more than doubled in 2021. China was the driver of the growth—the country sold more EVs in 2021 than the rest of the world combined in 2020.
| Country | 2021 EV Sales | % of Total |
|---|---|---|
| China 🇨🇳 | 3,519,054 | 51.7% |
| U.S. 🇺🇸 | 631,152 | 9.3% |
| Germany 🇩🇪 | 695,657 | 10.2% |
| France 🇫🇷 | 322,043 | 4.7% |
| UK 🇬🇧 | 326,990 | 4.8% |
| Norway 🇳🇴 | 153,699 | 2.3% |
| Italy 🇮🇹 | 141,615 | 2.1% |
| Sweden 🇸🇪 | 138,771 | 2.0% |
| South Korea 🇰🇷 | 119,402 | 1.8% |
| Netherlands 🇳🇱 | 97,282 | 1.4% |
| Rest of Europe 🇪🇺 | 469,930 | 6.9% |
| Rest of the World 🌍 | 313,129 | 4.6% |
| Total | 6,809,322 | 100.0% |
China has nearly 300 EV models available for purchase, more than any other country, and it’s also home to four of the world’s 10 largest battery manufacturers. Moreover, the median price of electric cars in China is just 10% more than conventional cars, compared to 45-50% on average in other major markets.
Germany, Europe’s biggest auto market, sold nearly 700,000 EVs in 2021, up 72% from 2020. The country hosts some of the biggest EV factories in Europe, with Tesla, Volkswagen, and Chinese battery giant CATL either planning or operating ‘gigafactories’ there. Overall, sales in Europe increased by 65% in 2021, as evidenced by the seven European countries in the above list.
The U.S. also made a comeback after a two-year drop, with EV sales more than doubling in 2021. The growth was supported by a 24% increase in EV model availability, and also by an increase in production of Tesla models, which accounted for half of U.S. EV sales.
Tesla’s Dominance in the U.S.
Tesla is the world’s most renowned electric car company and its dominance in the U.S. is unmatched.
Between 2011 and 2019, Tesla accounted for 40% of all EVs sold in the United States. Furthermore, Tesla cars have been the top-selling EV models in the U.S. in every year since 2015.
| EV Model | 2021 Sales | % of 2021 U.S. EV Sales |
|---|---|---|
| Tesla Model Y* | 185,994 | 29.5% |
| Tesla Model 3* | 147,460 | 23.4% |
| Ford Mustang Mach-E | 27,140 | 4.3% |
| Chevy Bolt EV/EUV | 24,828 | 3.9% |
| Volkswagen ID.4 | 16,742 | 2.7% |
| Tesla Model S* | 15,545 | 2.5% |
| Nissan Leaf | 14,239 | 2.3% |
| Porsche Taycan | 9,419 | 1.5% |
| Tesla Model X* | 7,985 | 1.3% |
| Audi e-tron | 7,429 | 1.2% |
*Estimates
Share of total sales calculated using total U.S. EV sales of 631,152 units, based on data from the IEA.
Source: Cleantechnica
Tesla accounted for over 50% of EV sales in the U.S. in 2021 with the Model Y—launched in 2019—taking the top spot. Furthermore, the Model Y remained the bestselling EV in the first quarter of 2022, with Tesla taking up a massive 75% of the EV market share.
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