Seven countries now generate nearly all their electricity from renewable sources, according to newly compiled data from the International Energy Agency and International Renewable Energy Agency. Albania, Bhutan, Nepal, Paraguay, Iceland, Ethiopia, and the Democratic Republic of Congo produced more than 99.7 percent of their electricity using geothermal, hydro, solar, or wind power in 2021 and 2022.

Stanford professor Mark Jacobson emphasized that existing technologies like Wind, Water and Solar can eliminate emissions without waiting for new breakthroughs. The data shows 40 additional countries generate at least half their electricity from renewables, including 11 European nations. Scotland achieved particularly impressive results, producing 113 percent of its electricity consumption from renewables in 2022.

The UK generated 41.5 percent of its electricity from renewable sources in 2022, up 10.5 percentage points from the previous year. Researchers predict solar power will dominate global electricity supplies over coming decades as efficiency improvements and falling costs create an "irreversible tipping point." A 2023 Nature Communications study concluded that solar energy's economic advantages make the transition to clean energy not just reachable but inevitable.