Record Green Power Installations Beat Fossil Fuel for First Time
- International Energy Agency increases renewable forecasts
- China, U.S. and India seen leading growth; EU expansion stalls
Photovoltaic solar panels sit in an array at the 16-megawatt Visonta solar power station.
Photographer: Akos Stiller/BloombergThis article is for subscribers only.
Renewable energy reached an important turning point last year with record new installations of emissions-free power surpassing sources that burn fossil fuel, according the International Energy Agency.
New installations of renewable energy overtook conventional power for the first time in 2015, the Paris-based agency said Tuesday in its Medium-Term Renewable Energy Market Report. Global green power rose by a record 153 gigawatts, equivalent to 55 percent of newly installed capacity last year. Total installed capacity exceeded coal for the first time, the IEA said.