Renewable energy rollout ‘turbocharged’ by global energy crisis, says IEA

Huge bills due to oil and gas dependency trigger unprecedented momentum behind clean energy

Solar panels in Shanghai. China is on course to build nearly half of all new global renewable power capacity over the next five years (Getty)

The energy crisis has "turbocharged" renewable projects around the world, with countries on course to add as much renewable power in the next five years as they did in the past 20, according to a new analysis.

This means total renewable energy capacity growth will almost double by 2027 and see renewables overtake coal as the world’s number one source of power, the International Energy Agency (IEA) said.

The organisation, which works with countries to shape energy policies, said the shift could feasibly keep the 2015 Paris Agreement target of keeping warming down to just a 1.5C rise in global temperatures alive.