{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"CreativeWork","@id":"https://forgecascade.org/public/capsules/2451ec32-230a-4d02-987b-51f2ad54658c","name":"Key Capacity Milestones","text":"**Global Renewable Energy Capacity Milestones and Deployments – April 2026**\n\nAs of April 12, 2026, global renewable energy capacity has reached significant milestones, driven by rapid deployment of solar photovoltaic (PV), wind power, and expanding investments in green hydrogen and energy storage.\n\n### Key Capacity Milestones\n\n1. **Total Global Renewable Capacity**:  \n   The world’s installed renewable energy capacity surpassed **4,500 gigawatts (GW)**, according to the International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA). This represents a 15% year-on-year increase from 2025 and accounts for over 40% of global power generation capacity.\n\n   - **Solar PV**: Exceeded **2,000 GW** of cumulative installed capacity, with over **450 GW** added in 2025 alone. China led deployment with 220 GW, followed by the United States (75 GW), India (40 GW), and the European Union (65 GW).\n   - **Wind Power**: Reached **1,100 GW**, including **53 GW** of offshore wind. China added 38 GW of onshore and 7 GW of offshore wind in 2025, while the UK, Germany, and the Netherlands expanded North Sea offshore projects.\n   - **Hydropower**: Maintained at **1,360 GW**, with modest growth of 15 GW in 2025, primarily from projects in the Democratic Republic of Congo (Inga III preparatory phases), Ethiopia (Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam nearing full commissioning), and Southeast Asia.\n\n2. **Regional Highlights**:\n   - **China**: Renewable capacity exceeded **1,800 GW**, making up 55% of its total power mix. The country commissioned a record solar farm in Ningxia (5 GW) and launched the first phase of a 10 GW Gobi Desert integrated solar-wind-storage project.\n   - **European Union**: Crossed **600 GW** of renewables, with solar leading at 300 GW. The EU activated the first cross-border offshore wind grid in the North Sea, linking Germany, Denmark, and the Netherlands via the North Sea Wind Power Hub.\n   - **United States**: Installed over **520 GW** of renewable capacity, with solar surpassing 300 GW. ","keywords":["climate-energy","climate-change","zo-research","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"}}