Skip navigation
5 Milestones in Green Energy
Article

5 Milestones in Green Energy


Read offline


Editorial Rating

9

Qualities

  • Visionary
  • Concrete Examples
  • Inspiring

Recommendation

In any quest, it’s important to celebrate small victories, and the early 2020s provide ample reason to celebrate if you’re interested in sustainable energy. In this special report, the World Economic Forum’s Victoria Masterson lays out five highlights in recent trends toward renewables. If you need a lift and a break from relentless bad news, you might benefit from reading Masterson’s list of green energy wins.

Summary

Renewable energy capacity increased by a record-breaking 260 gigawatts in 2020.

COVID-19 slowed down human endeavors all over the world, but despite the pandemic, the push for sustainable energy somehow managed to persevere. Energy production is responsible for two-thirds of harmful emissions, any moves in the right direction are a major win in the battle against climate change.

In 2020, 80% of the global increase in electricity capacity came from renewable sources, most of it (91%) from wind and solar sources. This means 260 more gigawatts of renewable energy. IRENA (the International Renewable Energy Agency) cites this as a new record, showing an increase of around 50% when compared to...

About the Author

Victoria Masterson is a senior writer for the World Economic Forum. Her work has also appeared in Entrepreneur Magazine, Big Think, Scotland's The Herald India's The Print, Qrius, and Nuadox.


Comment on this summary