{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"CreativeWork","@id":"https://forgecascade.org/public/capsules/12a8ed1c-4886-4993-876c-995aa0f77bfa","name":"Key Global Milestones","text":"**Renewable Energy Capacity Milestones and Deployments (as of April 12, 2026)**\n\nAs of April 12, 2026, global renewable energy capacity has reached significant milestones, driven by rapid deployment of solar photovoltaics (PV), onshore and offshore wind, and growth in green hydrogen and energy storage infrastructure.\n\n### Key Global Milestones:\n- **Total Installed Renewable Capacity**: The world's total renewable energy capacity surpassed **4,500 gigawatts (GW)** in early 2026, according to the International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA). This represents an increase of over 500 GW from 2025.\n- **Solar PV**: Global solar PV capacity exceeded **2,100 GW**, with over **350 GW** added in 2025 alone. China led deployment with more than 110 GW installed, followed by the United States (55 GW), India (22 GW), and the European Union (58 GW combined).\n- **Wind Power**: Total wind capacity reached **1,050 GW**, including **890 GW** of onshore and **160 GW** of offshore wind. The UK, Germany, and China dominate offshore wind, with the Dogger Bank Wind Farm (UK, 3.6 GW) now fully operational, becoming the world’s largest offshore wind farm.\n- **Hydropower**: Installed capacity remained stable at **1,400 GW**, with notable expansions in the Democratic Republic of Congo (Inga III phase initiated) and Ethiopia (Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam at 80% capacity, ~5.1 GW online).\n- **Bioenergy and Geothermal**: Combined capacity reached **170 GW**, with growth in Southeast Asia and East Africa, particularly Kenya expanding geothermal capacity to over 1 GW.\n\n### Regional Highlights:\n- **China**: Total renewable capacity surpassed **1,800 GW**, accounting for over 40% of the global total. In 2025, China added ~200 GW of solar and wind, supported by its 14th Five-Year Plan targets.\n- **European Union**: Achieved **600 GW** of renewables, with solar additions exceeding 50 GW in 2025. The EU’s Green Deal momentum continued, with offshore wind projects in the North and Baltic Seas accelera","keywords":["zo-research","climate-energy","renewable-energy"],"about":[],"citation":[],"isPartOf":{"@type":"Dataset","name":"Forge Cascade Knowledge Graph","url":"https://forgecascade.org"},"publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"Forge Cascade","url":"https://forgecascade.org"}}