Clean energy is all around us. In some countries, builders install solar panels faster than fast food chains open, and restaurants even power their operations with them.
Wind turbines now power entire countries. In some places, the wind and sun have been doing the heavy lifting long before electricity even existed.
If you’re curious about the energy industry’s direction or history, these sustainable energy facts reveal what happens when humans harness natural forces. Some come from ancient history, and others just last year’s global records.
Hopefully, one change will help you think about the future of energy work. Whether or not you’re thinking about a job in clean energy, you’ll walk away knowing more than you did before and maybe even have a new direction in mind.
1. Global Renewable Energy Milestone: Over 30% of Electricity From Renewables
Thanks to the surge of solar and wind energy adoption, renewable energy was responsible for producing just over 30% of the world’s electricity in 2023.
Solar and wind have stepped up, outpacing all other clean technologies. Hydropower actually fell in 2023 as a result of severe drought in countries such as China.
2. India Triples Its Renewable Energy Capacity
In March 2014, India’s green energy capacity was only 75.52 GW. Then, in 2025, it had tripled to over 232 GW. This statistic makes India the world’s third-largest producer of electricity from wind and solar energy, surpassing Germany.
India’s leap comes from solar power, growing from just 2.82 GW in 2014 to an impressive 108 GW by 2024. This growth drove an 80% drop in solar tariffs while cutting manufacturing costs for panels and cells, boosting affordability worldwide.
3. Renewable Energy Has Been Used Since 5000 BCE
Civilizations have used renewable energy long before fossil fuels were the first choice for energy. In the 1st century, Ancient Greeks designed buildings to align with the sun, harnessing solar energy naturally to heat homes.
Romans used aqueducts powered by water flow, and sailboats moved down the Nile powered by the wind, as early as 5000 BCE. As early as 500-900 AD, Persia used windmills to grind grain and pump water.
While generating electricity is a new addition, using natural forces to do the work has been around for thousands of years, showing that renewable energy is here to stay.
4. China Installed More Solar in 2023 Than the Entire World Did in 2022
Accounting for more than 60% of the new renewable capacity expected to become operational in 2028, China has installed more solar and wind power in 2023 than the rest of the world combined.
Thanks to a quick deployment, China will reach its national 2030 targets in solar and wind (photovoltaic) PV installations in 2024 and 2025, 5-6 years ahead of schedule.
How does this affect U.S. workers? Well, this level of solar growth helps to lower global solar panel prices. When production ramps up, the cost of materials and components begins to drop,
making it easier for everyone to expand their own solar capacity.
5. The World’s Largest Solar Plants Can Power 600,000 Homes
Two solar plants in the world can power over 600,000 homes.
The Tengger Desert Solar Park, commissioned in 2017, can power around 600,000 Chinese homes thanks to 10,626 acres of solar panels. It’s also called the “Great Wall of Solar.”
With its advanced solar technology and the ability to resist extreme weather, this solar park stands out for its capacity to deliver power regardless of the harsh and arid conditions of the Tengger Desert.
In Rajasthan, India, the Bhadla Solar Park can also power over 600,000 homes using its 14,000 acres of solar panels to fulfill an installed capacity of 2.25 GW.
6. Brazil Runs on 88% Renewable Power
Brazil’s electricity mix, predominantly hydroelectric but also including wind and solar (where demand is growing fast, especially in the northeast), powers 88% of everything in Brazil as of 2023.
Running on 88% renewable energy makes Brazil one of the cleanest energy producers in the world and a leader among other G20 countries in clean power generation.
The country’s investment in large-scale hydropower dams, offshore wind potential, and rural solar programs shows no signs of slowing down.
They are also expanding access and devoting time and money into including zero-carbon technologies and an increase in funding for solar energy.
It seems apparent that Brazil’s clean energy mix comes with a look to the future, and a hope to increase from 88%, as funding has begun for more new infrastructure to support long-term growth across the energy sector.
7. Einstein Won a Nobel Prize For His Work in Solar Energy
Although an inventor named Edmond Becquerel in 1839 discovered the photoelectric effect, it was Einstein who perfected it.
Einstein showed how electrons respond to light on certain surfaces and developed the theory that became a foundation for solar energy and cells.
He was awarded the Nobel Prize in Physics in 1921 for his services in theoretical physics and the discovery of the law of the photoelectric effect.
8. The First Solar Powered Village in the World was Created in 1978
The Tohono O’odham (Papago) Reservation in Arizona, in conjunction with the town of Schuchuli, became the first completely solar-powered village in the world after a photovoltaic system was activated in 1978.
NASA researchers and engineers installed the system, creating the first ‘solar electric village’ 17 miles from the nearest power lines. Before the installation, the village relied on kerosene lamps and a diesel-powered well for energy and water.
Once the reservation joined the electrical grid, engineers repurposed the solar panels to power a water system before retiring them in the 1990s.
9. Costa Rica Went 300 Days Using Only Renewable Energy
Costa Rica, often producing over 98% renewable energy, set a milestone in 2018 by running 300 days solely on renewables.
As part of its National Decarbonization Plan, Costa Rica’s energy mix includes hydro, geothermal, wind, biomass, and solar power. Hydropower has been reduced in recent years due to drought.
In past years, they have exported the excess energy they produce to countries in the Central America Regional Electrical Market, which includes Guatemala, Nicaragua, Panama, Honduras, and El Salvador.
10. Windmills Have Generated Electricity Since 1888
Charles F. Brush invented the first windmill capable of producing electricity in 1888 on his farm in Cleveland, Ohio.
The windmill stood 56 feet tall and had a 17-meter diameter rotor made up of 144 wooden slats.
It used a configuration common among waterpumping farm windmills of the time and could produce enough electricity to power Brush’s mansion and several other homes in the area. It was later used to power the streetlights in downtown Cleveland.
By 1908, 72 wind turbines were generating electricity for homes across Denmark, and by the 1930s, windmills were producing electricity across the U.S.
Today, the average windmill rotor diameter exceeds 130 metres and can generate 3.3 MW or more.
11. Solar Power Set to Surpass Nuclear Energy in Summer 2025
Global electricity generation from solar farms in the U.S. is projected to surpass nuclear output for the first time during the summer of 2025.
It’s no secret that solar power works best in the day with clear skies, and this limitation has always led people to assume that it will always lag behind other energy sectors.
However, between 2014 and 2024, solar capacity rocketed from 187 GW to 1,866 GW thanks to quick deployment and the low costs now associated with installing solar panels. Solar energy can now be captured at peak times in peak amounts and then stored for when it is needed.
12. Iceland Uses Geothermal Power for Nearly 100% Renewable Power Source
Iceland is known for a unique volcanic landscape that provides abundant geothermal and hydropower resources, which gives it nearly 100% of its electricity and heating. Roughly 85% of all houses in Iceland are heated with geothermal energy.
About 85% of the total energy supply in Iceland is derived from domestically produced renewable energy sources, the highest share of renewable energy in any national total energy budget.
The extensive use of geothermal energy has made Iceland, a country of approximately 360,000 people, a global leader in renewable energy utilization.
The ability to use geothermal also means that greenhouse gas emissions are reduced and showcases geothermal potential to the rest of the world.
13. Over 16 Million People Work in Renewable Energy
As of 2023, the global renewable energy sector employs nearly 16 million people. Nearly half of those jobs are in China, where solar and wind power are developing rapidly.
The remaining jobs are in the European Union, followed by Brazil, the United States, and India. Hydropower carries considerable weight in Brazil and Indian, while Europe remains dominant in wind power.
The U.S. plays a substantial role in creating solar, wind, and liquid biofuels jobs.
Conclusion
Interesting facts about sustainable energy aren’t hard to find, but they show how fast the world is changing, how far we’ve come, and how many different ways people use natural forces to solve their real problems.
From ancient windmills to solar farms powering entire regions, these 11 facts prove that sustainable energy isn’t some far-off idea. Clean renewable energy is used across industries, countries, and job markets.
Where the power is coming from is changing. Who helps make it happen is changing, too. To enter the renewable energy job market, read about the energy sector or look through our current job listings.