Renewable capacity share of major electric utilities globally 2020

In 2020, the Spanish-based Acciona was the leading electric utility based on renewable capacity worldwide. About 91 percent of Acciona’s total capacity was derived from renewable sources in 2020. That year, it operated about 9.2 gigawatts of renewable capacity, including wind, hydro, solar, and biomass.

Renewable energy capacity

Acciona, a Spanish infrastructure conglomerate, was originally a construction and engineering company but began to invest in renewable energies about 20 years ago. Companies with the lowest share of renewable capacity tend to be located in fossil fuel producing countries such as South Africa, Poland, the United States, and Indonesia. Globally, the share of renewable sources in energy consumption is increasing. In 2018, renewable energy accounted for 13.5 percent of the primary energy consumption worldwide. Renewable energy technologies accounted for almost 80 percent of the new capacities added in 2014.

Largest Chinese electrical utility

China General Nuclear (CGN), a Chinese electric utility, had one of the largest renewable capacities in the world in 2020, totaling 21 gigawatts. Utilities in China held a few of the top ten spots in terms of global renewable capacity during this year, largely due to their expansive hydropower usage and its rapidly growing solar market. Many of the country’s largest energy utilities have also increased their investment into wind energies, despite some connection problems. China’s electricity consumption has increased in recent years, reaching a total of 7,510 terawatt hours in 2020.