Global Progress Toward Renewable Electricity: Tracking the Role of Solar (Version 4)

Photovoltaics (PV) represented ~61% of newly installed global electricity generating capacity for 2023. The amount of electricity generated by nonhydro renewables (wind, solar, geothermal, and biomass) reached another record high and exceeded generation by global hydropower for the first time in history. Fractional year-to-year growth in both PV installations and PV-generated electricity continued at remarkable levels (~35% and ~24%, respectively), while grid scale battery storage grew even faster (~120%). Combined fractional electricity generation from all low carbon sources (hydro, nuclear, and renewables) reached ~39%. Following its initial publication in 2021, this annual article will continue to collect information from multiple sources and present it systematically as a reference for IEEE Journal of Photovoltaics readers.