Seven countries now generate all of their energy from renewable sources.

The Deputy Prime Minister, at the same time Minister of Infrastructure and Energy, Belinda Balluku published an article in Euronews Green that refers to the statistics of the report of the International Energy Agency (IEA) and International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA).

According to Euronews Green, more than 99.7% of electricity in Albania, Bhutan, Ethiopia, Iceland, Nepal, Paraguay and the Democratic Republic of Congo comes from geothermal, hydro, solar or wind power. Norway came close with 98.38% of its energy from wind, water, or solar, according to the data compiled by Stanford University Professor Mark Jacobson.

Another 40 countries got at least half of their electricity from renewables in 2021 and 2022 including 11 in Europe. Others, like Germany or Portugal, are capable of running on 100% wind, water, and solar for short amounts of time. Last year was the best year on record for new wind energy installation.

The world installed 116 gigawatts of new wind power capacity in 2023, according to the latest Global Wind Report from industry trade association the Global Wind Energy Council (GWEC). That is a 50% increase from 2022 making it the best year on record for new wind projects.

China led for both offshore and onshore wind installation followed by the US, Brazil, and Germany. Thanks to strong growth in the Netherlands, Europe also had a record year in 2023 with 3.8 gigawatts of new offshore wind capacity.

The report notes that, while wind power growth is highly concentrated in a few big countries, some other regions and nations saw record growth. Africa and the Middle East installed nearly 1 gigawatt of wind power capacity in 2023, almost triple that of the previous year.

Its authors say the world is “moving in the right direction in combatting climate change”. Authors warn, however, that annual growth must be at least 320 gigawatts by 2030 to meet the COP28 pledge of tripling renewable energy by the end of the decade.

“It’s great to see wind industry growth picking up, and we are proud of reaching a new annual record,” said GWEC CEO Ben Backwell. “However much more needs to be done to unlock growth.”