This article is the fifth in a series on BP’s recently-released Statistical Review of World Energy 2019. Previous articles in this series covered carbon dioxide emissions, petroleum supply and demand, the production and consumption of coal, and global natural gas trends:

• BP Warns Of An Unsustainable Path
• The U.S. Accounted For 98% Of Global Oil Production Growth In 2018
• Coal Demand Rises, But Remains Below Peak Levels
• U.S. Increases Its Dominance In Natural Gas Production

Today, I want to cover global trends in renewable energy.

Renewables

The Review separates renewables into two categories called Hydroelectric and Renewables. The former consists of hydropower, which has been around for a long time. Hydropower still produces more electricity globally than the Renewables category, which consists primarily of rapidly-growing wind and solar power, as well as more mature renewable technologies like geothermal power and power produced from biomass.

To put these numbers in perspective, the following graphic shows the global percentage each of the major power sources contributed to electricity generation in 2018:

Renewables Catching Nuclear Power In Global Energy Race