Asia's renewable energy capacity grew by 21.1% to 2,374 GW in 2024, the highest among regions

  • Asia added 413 GW in one year, marking the most significant renewable energy expansion globally.
  • Asia’s 2024 renewable capacity is larger than the combined totals of all other regions indicated.
  • Europe reached 850 GW of installed capacity in 2024, consolidating its position as the second-largest renewable energy region.
  • North America’s renewable energy grew by 8.7% to 572 GW.
  • Oceania recorded a 12.9% growth rate, one of the highest relative increases despite its small base.
  • The Middle East achieved 10.8% growth, reflecting increased investments in solar and wind energy.
  • Africa’s renewable energy grew modestly to 70 GW.
  • Central America & the Caribbean recorded no growth, staying at 19 GW, making it the only stagnant region in 2024.

Asia has taken the lead in global renewable energy growth, recording a massive 21.1% increase in installed capacity between 2023 and 2024. This surge pushed its total to 2,374 GW, far ahead of every other region. The scale of Asia’s growth highlights its aggressive push towards clean energy, driven by rapid industrialisation, policy support, and the urgency to cut reliance on fossil fuels.

In comparison, Europe and North America maintained growth, adding 72 GW and 46 GW, respectively, though their year-on-year growth rates—9.3% and 8.7%, respectively—are far behind Asia’s pace. Regions like Oceania and the Middle East, although smaller in total capacity, stood out with double-digit growth rates, demonstrating that even emerging players are increasing their adoption of renewable energy. Meanwhile, Africa and South America posted modest gains, reflecting progress but underscoring the need for further investment and infrastructure to harness their vast renewable potential.

Source:

IRENA

Period:

2024
HTML code to embed chart
Want a bespoke report?
Reach out
Tags
Related Insights

Nigeria’s power grid is 69.9% powered by thermal plants
  • Thermal energy dominates Nigeria’s grid, supplying 69.9% of total power.
  • Hydro plants contribute 30.1%, making them the country’s second major source.
  • The heavy reliance on thermal generation shows Nigeria’s grid is still largely fossil-fuel driven.
  • Hydro remains a crucial but secondary source, supporting overall supply stability.

Nigeria's DisCos recorded ₦360bn revenue gap after collecting ₦1.12tn from ₦1.49tn billed in H1 2025
  • DisCos billed approximately ₦1.49 trillion but collected only ₦1.12 trillion in H1 2025.
  • Ikeja and Eko DisCos generated the highest revenues, collecting ₦206.22 billion and ₦210.59 billion, respectively.
  • Revenue collection gaps remain significant, with Jos, Kaduna, and Yola posting the weakest collection performances.
  • The wide gap between billings and actual collections suggests persistent challenges in customer payment compliance, metering, and distribution efficiency.

Nigeria has installed 3.65 million electricity metres since 2019; Ikeja DisCo leads with 823,000, and Aba Power at the bottom with 56,000
  • Approximately 3.65 million metres have been installed nationwide across all frameworks since 2019.
  • Ikeja DisCo leads by a wide margin with 823,000 installations, over twice the volume of most other DisCos.
  • Kaduna, Yola, and Aba Power recorded the lowest metre installations, each below 100,000.
  • The disparities in installation totals reveal uneven progress in achieving nationwide metering coverage.

More than 8 in 10 electricity customers of Ikeja and Eko DisCos are now metered
  • Ikeja (84.6%) and Eko (83.3%) lead Nigeria’s metering performance, keeping unmetered customers below 17%.
  • Eight out of the twelve DisCos have metering rates below 60%, showing a wide sector imbalance.
  • The worst-performing DisCos — Yola, Jos, Kaduna, and Kano — have over 65% unmetered customers.
  • Regional disparities are sharp: Lagos and Abuja outperform northern and south-eastern DisCos by large margins.

Nigeria’s power grid is 69.9% powered by thermal plants
  • Thermal energy dominates Nigeria’s grid, supplying 69.9% of total power.
  • Hydro plants contribute 30.1%, making them the country’s second major source.
  • The heavy reliance on thermal generation shows Nigeria’s grid is still largely fossil-fuel driven.
  • Hydro remains a crucial but secondary source, supporting overall supply stability.

South Africa dominates Africa's battery energy storage pipeline, with over three times the capacity of Egypt, the next largest market
  • South Africa dominates with 30 battery storage systems, the largest by far.
  • Egypt is the second-largest market with 7 projects, while Morocco has 4.
  • Nigeria and Senegal have five projects each (operational + pipeline).
  • Several countries, including Ghana, Togo, Angola, Botswana, DR Congo, and Mauritius, each have just one or two projects, indicating an uneven spread across the continent.
  • South Africa also leads in systems under construction (7).
  • Operational projects are still limited continent-wide, with most systems either under construction or in the planning pipeline.

POPULAR TOPICS
SIGN UP TO OUR NEWSLETTER
Get periodic updates about the African startup space, access to our reports, among others.
Subscribe Here
Subscription Form

A product of Techpoint Africa. All rights reserved