Energy geography: who generates what
A handful of countries generate nearly all their electricity from a single renewable source, usually because the landscape left them no reason to build anything else. Others sit on enormous reserves and still import fuel.
Roughly what share of Iceland's electricity comes from renewable sources?
Nearly all
Hydro and geothermal supply close to 100 percent of Icelandic electricity, and geothermal heats roughly 85 to 90 percent of homes. Sitting on a plate boundary has its advantages.
Which country generates almost all its electricity from a single hydroelectric dam?
Paraguay, from Itaipu
Itaipu on the Brazilian border produces far more than Paraguay uses, so most of its share is exported to Brazil. Paraguayan electricity is nearly all hydroelectric.
Source: Itaipu Binacional; Paraguayan energy ministry
Which continent receives the most solar energy per square metre?
Africa
Africa has roughly 60 percent of the world's best solar resource but under 2 percent of installed solar capacity, one of the sharpest mismatches in global energy.
Source: International Energy Agency, Africa Energy Outlook
Norway is a major oil exporter, yet leads the world in what?
Electric car sales
Electric vehicles have exceeded 80 percent of new car sales in recent years, funded partly by the sovereign wealth fund built on oil revenue.
Source: Norwegian Road Federation registration statistics
Which country burns the most coal?
China
China burns roughly half the world's coal, more than every other country combined. It is also by far the largest builder of solar and wind capacity.
Source: International Energy Agency coal reports
What is the largest power station in the world by capacity?
The Three Gorges Dam
Three Gorges on the Yangtze has about 22.5 GW of capacity. Its reservoir is so massive that filling it produced a measurable, if tiny, change in the Earth's rotation.
Source: China Three Gorges Corporation; NASA commentary on moment of inertia
Which country mines the most uranium?
Kazakhstan
Kazakhstan produces roughly 40 percent of the world's uranium, extracted mostly by in-situ leaching rather than conventional mining.
Which large country gets the greatest share of its electricity from nuclear power?
France
France generates around 65 to 70 percent of its electricity from nuclear reactors, the highest share of any sizeable country, following a state programme launched after the 1973 oil crisis.
Source: French energy regulator RTE
Roughly how many people worldwide still have no access to electricity?
About 700 million
Around 700 million people lack access, concentrated in sub-Saharan Africa. The figure fell sharply for two decades before stalling in the early 2020s.
Source: International Energy Agency SDG7 tracking
Which country has generated over half its electricity from wind in recent years?
Denmark
Denmark regularly exceeds 50 percent from wind across a full year, with individual days above 100 percent of demand, exporting the surplus to neighbours.
Source: Danish Energy Agency