China surpassed the US as the top producer of renewable energy in 2016, according to the latest BP Statistical Review of World Energy released on July 10.

Renewable power, excluding hydro power, in the world grew by 14.1 percent in 2016, the biggest increment on record, the report said.

As the report indicated, although the share of renewable power within primary energy was just 4 percent, its strong growth meant it accounted for one-third of the increase in primary energy.

China continued to dominate renewables growth, contributing about 40 percent of global growth and surpassed the US as the biggest producer of renewable power last year, said Spencer Dale, BP’s chief economist.

Global hydro power rose 2.8 percent in 2016 from a year ago, with more than 40 percent of growth from China.

Carbon emissions were essentially flat over the past three years, Dale said, with China again the key player.

The BP data showed carbon emissions in the world rose slightly by 0.1 percent in 2016, while in China, the emissions fell 0.7 percent from one year ago.

“China’s carbon emissions are estimated to have actually fallen over the past two years, after growing by more than 75 percent in the previous 10 years, and some of the improvements reflect structural factors that are likely to persist,” Dale said.