There are only seven countries that use 100% renewable energy or are close to it. Another 10 are planning to join the club.
Norway, New Zealand, Iceland, Costa Rica, Kenya, Bhutan and Paraguay use or are close to 100% renewable energy. The secret, besides the fact that these are sparsely populated countries (or small in area), lies in their rich natural resources. However, the map of the world’s most renewable countries is changing. The club is going to expand.
From traditional renewable energy sources to variable ones. Each of these seven countries produces electricity from traditional renewable sources such as hydropower or first-generation geothermal energy.
The situation is different in the rest of the world, which does not have such abundant water and geothermal resources. However, there are 10 new countries that are on track to produce more than two-thirds of their electricity from renewable sources, thanks to a strong commitment to variable energy.
Next one to come. The International Energy Agency (IEA) report focuses on 10 countries that are leading the transition to variable renewable energy sources, mostly wind and solar.
Denmark stands out as a leader in this race and is expected to be 100% renewable by the end of the decade. In the first nine months of 2024, 72% of Denmark’s electricity was generated from wind and solar, and 10% from bioenergy, that is, the conversion of biomass.
European fame. There are seven more European countries on the list of candidates. Portugal, Greece, the Netherlands, Germany, Spain, the UK and Ireland are rapidly moving towards an energy mix dominated by wind and solar. Portugal stands out as the favorite in this group, as it predicts that by 2030, 90% of its electricity will come from renewable sources.
France is also moving towards 100% carbon-free energy, but its infrastructure relies primarily on low-grade nuclear power, putting it in a unique position in the global non-renewable energy landscape.
And South American. Chile has also made great progress with an unprecedented commitment to solar and wind energy. It leads Latin America in renewable energy along with Uruguay, which has run on 100% renewable energy for ten months in a row thanks to its hydroelectric dams and recent investments in wind, solar and biomass generators.
What will happen The IEA report predicts that by 2030, renewable energy will account for almost half of global electricity production. Today it’s 30%, so we’re talking about a huge jump in five years.
To make this possible, countries will have to invest heavily in battery storage, more reliable transmission infrastructure and demand management programs. The transition will not only involve increasing wind and solar power capacity, but also creating an electrical system capable of managing and balancing this new era of clean energy.
Image | EDP Portugal