In 2020, the growth rate of renewable energy in the world reached its maximum in 20 years

In 2020, the growth rate of renewable energy in the world reached its maximum in 20 years  - 45%, despite the crisis caused by the coronavirus pandemic. This was announced on Tuesday by the International Energy Agency (IEA).

Governments need to "develop this promising area by encouraging increased investment in solar and wind energy and other key renewable technologies such as geothermal, hydro and bioenergy," said IEA Executive Director Dr Fatih Birol.

"The massive expansion of clean electricity production is necessary for the world to achieve its goal of zero emissions," he added.

A report of the International Energy Agency says that the implementation of renewable energy projects in 2020 has become a kind of "turning point" for the global industry. The capacity of wind energy over the past year, according to it, doubled, and the growth rate of solar energy amounted to almost 50%, exceeding the corresponding indicators before the pandemic. Experts attribute this to increased interest in clean energy from governments and corporations.

China has become one of the leaders in the development of renewable energy, which accounted for about 40% of the world capacity growth in this sector for several years. This country has also become one of the largest suppliers of raw materials and materials needed for the production of wind turbines and solar panels, including silicon, glass, steel, copper, rare earth metals. However, China is also the world's largest emitter of greenhouse gases due to the use of coal-fired power plants.