The Magnificent Seven Countries that are at 100% Renewable Energy

Seven countries across the globe have reached 100% renewable energy status, generating mostly all of their electricity needs with various renewable energy methods.

Reaching an impressive 99.7% of electricity generated through methods such as wind power, solar, hydro, and geothermal, the seven countries paved the way for around 40 other countries that generated approximately 50% of their electricity with the same renewable means.

The Seven 100% Countries

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Paraguay 

Albania

Democratic Republic of Congo

Nepal 

Bhutan 

Iceland

Ethiopia 

International Energy Agency (IEA) and International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA)

These numbers have been derived from a study conducted by Stanford University, with data published by Professor Mark Jacobson. He firmly believes that “We don’t need miracle technologies” and that “We need to stop emissions by electrifying everything and providing that electricity with Wind, Water, and Solar” (WWS).

This would mean introducing onshore wind, solar, photovoltaics, concentrated solar power, geothermal electricity, small hydroelectricity, and large hydroelectricity to countries that have the potential to reach 100% renewable status.

The UK fell short ever so slightly when it came to meeting the renewable halfway point back in 2022 and was a great improvement from the year prior, with a rise of 10.5% according to data released by IEA at the beginning of 2024. But there is much work for the UK to do as it has been assessed that the country is going backwards in terms of future energy security.

Scotland For the Win

A monumental record-breaking milestone of 113% renewable energy power generation took place in Scotland in 2022.

This achievement highlights the potential that we have on our hands with renewable energy and with time progress will surely follow. Scotland saw a prevalent electricity generation thanks to wind power but there is amazing potential for solar power to become the world leader of the world’s electricity supplies in the foreseeable future.

Solar Summary

Solar is improving constantly and with it efficiency ratings are getting better. Thanks to a new material by the name of Perovskite, a new generation of highly efficient solar cells has been developed.

However, there is still a long way to go until these cells are commercially ready due to early perovskite devices degrading quickly, sometimes becoming non-functional within minutes or hours.

Solar energy is a readily available energy source, and with more accessibility than ever, a target of 2050 could see a complete reliance on it. With wind power, more and more potential countries will hit the 100% renewable energy mark.

See if YOU are eligible to become part of renewable energy generation through government-backed initiatives below:

Further Reading

22-Countries100Pct (stanford.edu) – Read the Stanford University data publication by Professor Mark Jacobson

Perovskite technology: Shining the spotlight on the future of affordable solar power – Queen Mary University of London (qmul.ac.uk) – Delve deeper into the development of future solar technology.