The following article is part two of a two-part series publishing in i3 that first appeared in the Global Listed Infrastructure Organization’s GLIO Journal. The full article with footnotes, graphics and references is available at: https://www.glio.org/

Every year, Energy Intelligence (EI) publishes its green utilities report. It estimates that the top-100 companies in the ranking represent just under half of the world’s power capacity.

The latest report states that wind, solar and hydropower accounted for 70 percent — or 56 gigawatts — of new capacity added by the world’s top green utilities and IPPs. This was instrumental in reducing average carbon-dioxide emissions intensity of the companies to 425 kilogram/megawatt hour, versus 564 kg/MWh when the ranking started in 2011.

EI states that the change is largely due to the progressive switch of the large incumbents’ capacity to renewables and, among fossil fuels, to more gas at the expense of coal.