« Progress in renewables remains concentrated in the power
sector, while far less growth has occurred in heating,
cooling and transport.
The year 2018 saw a relatively stable market for renewable energy
technologies. A total of 181 gigawatts (GW) of renewable power
was added, a consistent pace compared to 2017, and the number
of countries integrating high shares of variable renewable energy
(VRE) keeps rising.
Progress once again was concentrated in the power sector,
as renewable energy became increasingly cost-competitive
compared to conventional thermal generation. Renewables
provided an estimated more than 26% of global electricity
generation by year’s end. Uptake has been driven by targets
and stable policies. As in previous years, renewables saw far
less growth in the heating, cooling and transport sectors, with
progress constrained by a lack of strong policy support and by
slow developments in new technologies.
Decarbonisation pathways and frameworks were developed
further during 2018. At the sub-national level, a growing number
of governments in many regions became leaders, setting more
ambitious targets than their national counterparts. Developing
and emerging economies continued to increase their
deployment of renewables, and distributed renewable energy
systems further helped to spread energy access to households
in remote areas. «
