Renewables 2021 is the IEA’s primary analysis on the sector, based on current policies and market developments. It forecasts the deployment of renewable energy technologies in electricity, transport and heat to 2026 while also exploring key challenges to the industry and identifying barriers to faster growth.
Renewables are the backbone of any energy transition to achieve net zero. As the world increasingly shifts away from carbon emitting fossil fuels, understanding the current role renewables play in the decarbonisation of multiple sectors is key to ensuring a smooth pathway to net zero.
While renewables continued to be deployed at a strong pace during the Covid-19 crisis, they face new opportunities and challenges. This year’s report frames current policy and market dynamics while placing the recent rise in energy and commodities prices in context. In addition to providing detailed market analysis and forecasts, Renewables 2021 also explores trends to watch including storage, producing hydrogen from renewable electricity, stimulus packages, aviation biofuels and residential heating.
Table of contents
Executive summary .... 14
Improved policies and COP26 climate goals are set to propel renewable electricity growth to new heights ...... 14
Despite rising prices, solar PV will set new records and wind will grow faster than over the previous five years ....... 15
Asia is set to overtake Europe as India and Indonesia lead renewed growth in global demand for biofuels .... 16
Renewable heat has gained some policy momentum, but its market share is not set to
increase significantly .... 16
High commodity and energy prices bring significant uncertainties ...... 17
Supported by the right policies, recovery spending on renewables could unleash a huge wave of private capital ....... 18
Faster growth of renewables is within reach but requires addressing persistent challenges .. 18
Renewables’ penetration in to hard-to-decarbonise sectors is slowly emerging and promises a bright future ...... 19
Renewables need to grow faster than our forecasts to close the gap with a pathway to net
zero by 2050..... 19
Chapter 1. Renewable electricity ...... 21
Forecast summary .... 21
Renewable capacity additions are set to grow faster than ever in the next five years, but the expansion trend is not on track to meet the IEA Net Zero by 2050 Scenario ...... 21
Are renewable heating options cost-competitive with fossil fuels in the residential sector?..... 163
Upfront costs ...... 163
Operating costs ...... 165
Overall cost-competitiveness of heating technologies ....... 166
References ...... 168
General annex ....... 172
Abbreviations and acronyms....... 172
Units of measure ..... 173
List of boxes
Box 2.1 India has tripled ethanol demand over the past five years, putting it on track to be the world’s third-largest ethanol consumer by 2026 ...... 100
List of figures
Average annual renewable capacity additions and cumulative installed capacity, historical, forecasts and IEA Net Zero Scenario, 2009-2026 ....... 22
IEA five-year renewable capacity forecasts by country/region, main case, 2021 and 2021 ..... 23
Renewable electricity auctioned capacity by country/region, 2015-2021 (left) and by technology and corporate PPAs, 2015-2021 (right) ..... 24
Auction-awarded renewable capacity by contract duration, 2017-2021 ...... 25
Top-ten countries’ share of total installed renewable capacity, historical and main case forecast, 1991-2026 ..... 26
Annual capacity additions of solar PV, wind and other renewables, main and accelerated cases, 2020-2026 ..... 27
Solar PV and onshore wind capacity additions, actual and forecast by country/region, 2015-2026 ....... 28
Hydropower and wind electricity generation growth in selected markets, 2015- 2020 average and 2021 ....... 30
Renewable electricity generation by technology, 1990-2026 (left) and share by technology, 1990-2026 (right) ...... 31
Share of wind, solar PV, hydropower and all renewables in total electricity generation, 2000-2026 ..... 32
Wind and solar PV generation curtailment by country ..... 33
Average annual capacity additions by technology, actual, forecasts and IEA Net Zero Scenario, 2015-2026 ..... 34
China renewable capacity additions, 2009-2026 (left) and non-fossil energy target proposals for 2030 (right) ....... 35
United States renewable capacity additions, 2008-2026 (left) and solar PV and wind PPA capacity and average contract price, 2014-2020 (right) ...... 37
United States solar and wind capacity additions, 2017-2026 (left) and low-carbon
electricity target, 2020-2030 (right) ...... 39
Asia Pacific renewable capacity additions by country, 2019-2026 (left) and capacity additions by technology, 2015-2026 (right) .... 41
India renewable capacity additions, 2009-2026 (left) and national targets for 2022 and 2030 (right) ....... 42
India renewable capacity awarded via auctions, 2018-2021 (left) and DISCOMs’ overdue payments to generators, 2019-2021 (right) .... 43
Japan renewable capacity additions, 2009-2026 (left) and renewable energy capacity targets, 2019-2030 (right) ...... 45
Korea renewable capacity additions, 2009-2026 (left) and average revenue per MWh by technology, 2017-2020 (right) .... 47
ASEAN renewable capacity additions by country, 2019-2026 (left) and capacity additions by technology, 2015-2026 (right) ...... 49
Australia renewable capacity additions, 2009-2026 (left) and renewables
curtailment, Q1 2019-Q2 2021 (right) ...... 50
EU member states installed renewable capacity and capacity expected in 2030 based on submitted NECPs ..... 52
Europe renewable capacity additions by country, 2009-2026 (left) and capacity growth by technology, 2015-2026 (right) ...... 54
Spain renewable capacity additions, 2019-2026 (left) and comparison of auction
prices and wholesale electricity prices, 2018-2021 (right) ....... 57
France renewable capacity additions, 2009-2026 (left), and auction results, 2019- 2020 (right) ....... 59
Netherlands renewable capacity additions, 2009-2026 (left) and share of budget
award by technology, 2016-2020 (right) ....... 61
Turkey renewable capacity additions, 2009-2026 (left) and solar PV auction results, 2021 (right) ...... 63
Poland’s renewable capacity additions, 2009-2026 (left), and estimated PV and wind capacity additions resulting from renewable energy auctions, 2017-
2021 (right) ....... 64
Italy renewable capacity additions, 2009-2026 (left) and FER auction results, 2019-2021 (right) ...... 66
United Kingdom renewable capacity additions, 2009-2026 (left), and CfD auction results (capacity and strike prices), 2021-2026 (right) ..... 67
Denmark renewable capacity additions, 2009-2026 (left) and types of policy driver by technology, 2021-2026 (right) ....... 69
Belgium renewable capacity additions, 2019-2026 (left) and historical and forecast solar PV additions by region, 2011-2026 (right) ..... 70
Latin America capacity additions by country, 2019-2026 (left) and capacity additions by technology, 2015-2026 (right) ...... 71
Brazil renewable capacity additions, 2019-2026 (left) and awarded auction and spot market prices, 2018-2021 (right) ....... 72
Chile renewable capacity additions, 2019-2026 (left) and non-conventional renewable generation historical share and future target and demand by type (right) .... 74
Mexico renewable capacity additions, 2019-2026 (left) and Argentina renewable capacity additions, 2019-2026 (right) ....... 76
Colombia renewable capacity additions, 2019-2026 (left) and capacity awarded by auctions, 2019 and 2021 (right) ....... 77
Sub-Saharan Africa renewable additions by country, 2019-2026 (left) and additions by technology and country, 2015-2026 (right) ...... 79
MENA renewable capacity growth by technology, 2009-2026 (left) and by country, 2021-2026 (right) .... 82
MENA solar PV growth, 2009-2026 (left) and awarded bid prices, 2014- 2022 (right) ....... 83
Biofuel demand growth and share of total demand by fuel (left) and region (right), main case, 2021-2026 ...... 90
Biofuel demand and share of total biofuel demand in the accelerated case versus the main case by fuel (left) and by region (right) ...... 92
Biofuel demand by region (left) and by fuel (right), main case, 2018-2026 ..... 93
Biofuel supply and demand growth by region and fuel, main case, 2022-2026 ...... 94
Biofuel regional demand (left) and supply (right), main case, 2018-2026 ....... 95
Biofuel demand growth by fuel (left) and share of fuel demand growth by region (right), main case, 2021-2026 ...... 97
US ethanol fuel supply (left) and Asian biodiesel and renewable diesel supply (right), main case, 2019 and 2026 ....... 99
Biofuel demand growth by region and fuel in the accelerated case, 2021-2026 ... 102
Biofuel production growth by region in the accelerated case (left) and total production shares by region in the main and accelerated cases (right), 2021- 2026 .... 103
Biofuel demand in the main case, accelerated case and the Net Zero Scenario, 2014-2026 ...... 105
Net trade by fuel and net trade share of demand by fuel, main case, 2020 and 2026 .... 109
Top five global exporters and importers of biofuel in 2026 compared with 2021, main case ....... 110
Net trade in 2021, 2026 main case and 2026 accelerated case .... 111
Renewable and non-renewable heat consumption and heat-related CO2 emissions in buildings and industry, world, 2010-2020 ...... 115
Increase in renewable heat consumption by energy source (left) and country/region (right), 2009-2026 ....... 122
Renewable heat consumption and share of total heat demand in buildings and industry, 2014-2026 .... 123
Increase in renewable heat consumption in buildings, and share of modern renewables and traditional uses of biomass in buildings heat demand, selected regions, 2015-2026 ...... 125
Contribution of different factors to changes in renewable electricity consumption in industry, selected regions, 2021-2026 ....... 126
Increase in renewable heat consumption in industry and share of renewables in industrial heat demand, selected regions, 2015-2026 ....... 127
Growth in renewable heat consumption and global cumulative heat-related CO2 emissions in the IEA outlook and Net Zero Emissions Scenario, world, 2021-2026 ...... 129
Monthly commodity and freight price indexes, 2020-2021 ..... 134
Utility-scale PV and onshore wind investment cost structure by component and by commodity breakdown ....... 135
Utility-scale PV and onshore wind, total investment cost change by commodity and freight input, from average 2019 prices....... 136
Impact of high commodity price scenario on forecast total investment costs and CAPEX, onshore wind and utility-scale PV, 2015-2026 ..... 138
Average wholesale electricity prices and LCOE of utility-scale solar PV and onshore in 2020 and in high commodity price scenario in Germany, United Kingdom and Spain..... 140
Demand decline in response to high prices, selected countries, 2021 ...... 142
Biofuel prices and feedstock costs in selected markets, ethanol (left) and biodiesel (right), 2017-2021 ....... 143
Global government clean energy stimulus in response to Covid-19, allocatedup to October 2021 ..... 145
Global government clean energy spending by sector and technology, allocated up to October 2021 ..... 146
Government clean energy approved spending by region and share of renewables, allocated up to October 2021..... 147
Estimated renewable capacity additions resulting from approved government spending, depending on private financing leverage, to be commissioned
over 2021-2026 ...... 148
EU RFF funding allocation by country and share of clean energy ..... 149
EU RFF fund allocation by sector and between renewables ..... 150
EU RFF fund allocation by renewable technology or fuel ...... 150
Global installed electrolyser capacity in 2020 and projects planned for
commissioning, 2021-2026 (left) and additional renewable capacity for
electrolysis, 2021-2026 ...... 151
Additional renewable capacity according to planned and announced green
hydrogen projects ....... 152
Global planned electrolyser capacity and estimation of additional renewable
capacity by country/region...... 153
Concentrated solar power, pumped hydro and batteries, installed storage
capacity in 2020 and 2026 ..... 154
CSP, PSH and battery storage capability in 2020 and 2026 ..... 156
PSH storage capability, 2021-2030 .... 157
Fossil jet and biojet fuel production cost ranges .... 159
Annual SAF demand range over the main and accelerated cases compared
with capacity potential .... 160
Investment cost range for selected residential space and water heating
technologies and regions ....... 164
Renewables 2021 Tables of contents
Analysis and forecasts to 2026
Average annual operating cost range for selected space and water heating
technologies and regions ....... 165
Levelised cost of heating for consumers, for selected space and water heating
technologies and countries..... 166
List of tables
Main and accelerated case policy and assumption summary .... 106
Recent policy updates encouraging the uptake of renewable heat ....... 117
Reductions in material processing due to high energy prices, commodities used in