Seven countries now generate nearly all their electricity from renewables (2024)

Article Summary

Albania, Bhutan, Nepal, Paraguay, Iceland, Ethiopia, and the Democratic Republic of Congo each produced more than 99.7% of their consumed electricity from renewable sources in 2024, according to research by Stanford professor Mark Z. Jacobson. The achievement is largely attributable to exceptional hydroelectric resources — all seven countries are heavily reliant on hydro power, with Iceland supplementing via geothermal — making geography a key factor rather than a broadly replicable policy model. The findings come from Jacobson’s ongoing 100% wind, water, and sunlight (WWS) research program, which has itself been subject to scientific controversy.

Discussion

• The top comment notes that all seven countries rely almost entirely on hydroelectric (and Iceland on geothermal) power, with commenters quipping the real lesson is “grow yourselves some mountains and dam, baby, dam” — geography, not policy, is the dominant factor here.
• Several users push back on the framing: DRC is cited as an example where near-100% renewable generation coexists with only ~half the population having electricity access at all, making the headline potentially misleading.
• A counterpoint thread highlights real momentum in large economies: California at 83% renewable (solar-led), Portugal at 90% (wind/solar), Spain at 73%, Netherlands at 86%, and Great Britain at 71% — suggesting meaningful progress beyond geography-blessed outliers.
• Commenters flag that some listed countries are net electricity importers (e.g. Albania imports from Greece which uses gas), so “nearly 100% renewable generation” does not always equal “nearly 100% renewable consumption.”
• The source researcher, Mark Z. Jacobson, is noted to be controversial — he lost a 2017 defamation lawsuit against critics of his 100% renewable papers and was ordered to pay over $500,000 in legal fees; his nuclear CO2 calculations include emissions from hypothetical nuclear-war city-burning events.

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