Our Top 10 Renewable Energy Projects from around the World

From tidal power and geothermal heat, to floating solar farms and record-breaking wind turbines, renewable energy projects around the world are pushing the boundaries of what’s possible in infrastructure delivery.

We’ve rounded up ten of the most interesting, ambitious and downright cool renewable energy projects from across the globe. These projects offer a fascinating look at how renewables are being designed, built and scaled at a global level.

1. Swansea Bay Tidal Lagoon, UK – Ocean Power on a Massive Scale

Originally proposed to be one of the world’s first tidal lagoon power plants, Swansea Bay’s project aimed to harness predictable tides to produce renewable electricity with minimal emissions, generating power roughly 10 hours per day from tidal cycles. While it has faced funding and approval challenges, its concept remains one of the most talked-about renewable tidal projects due to its potential longevity and predictability compared to wind or solar.

2. Gemasolar Thermosolar Plant, Spain – Solar Power 24/7

Located in Andalusia, Gemasolar is a concentrated solar power (CSP) plant that uses molten salt thermal storage to produce electricity even when the sun isn’t shining. It’s one of the first commercial plants in the world to demonstrate continuous, round-the-clock solar power at utility scale, a huge leap for dispatchable renewables. 

3. The Solar Roadways Project, USA – Roads That Generate Power

A famous R&D project aiming to embed solar panels into road surfaces so that roads themselves generate electricity. Despite technical and cost challenges, this project has sparked conversations about novel applications of solar technology outside ground-mounted or rooftop arrays.

4. Hornsea One Offshore Wind Farm, UK – Gigantic Wind Power

Hornsea One is one of the largest offshore wind farms in the world, located off the Yorkshire coast. With hundreds of turbines, it generates enough clean electricity for over a million homes, showcasing how offshore wind can power major cities and support grid decarbonisation at scale.

5. Noor Ouarzazate Solar Power Station, Morocco – Desert Solar Giant

The Noor Solar Complex near Ouarzazate combines concentrated solar power (CSP) and photovoltaic technologies to produce around 580 MW of clean energy. It includes molten salt storage, allowing electricity generation even after sunset, and is central to Morocco’s ambitious 2030 renewable energy goals.

6. Yamakura Dam Floating Solar Plant, Japan – Sun on the Water

Built on the surface of a reservoir near Tokyo, this floating solar plant uses floating platforms to support thousands of panels without using scarce land. Floating installations like Yamakura reduce water evaporation and can be more efficient due to cooling from the water beneath.  

7. Kurnool Ultra Mega Solar Park, India – One of the Largest Solar Parks

In Andhra Pradesh, the Kurnool solar park spans thousands of hectares and has a capacity of around 1 GW, making it one of the largest single-location solar PV installations in the world.

8. Hellisheiði Power Station, Iceland – Harnessing Earth’s Heat

In volcanic southwestern Iceland, Hellisheiði is one of the largest geothermal power stations in the world, producing both electricity and district heating from geothermal heat. With hundreds of megawatts of output, it shows how deep Earth heat can supply baseload renewable energy. 

9. The Tesla Gigafactory (USA) – Batteries Supporting Renewables

Tesla’s Gigafactories aren’t energy producers in the traditional sense, but they are critical enablers of renewable energy by manufacturing batteries (for EVs and grid storage) at huge scale. These facilities are designed to operate with significant renewable power and reduce emissions across transport and energy systems.

10. Haliade-X Offshore Wind Turbine, Netherlands – Monster Wind Turbine

The GE Haliade-X is one of the most powerful offshore wind turbine designs ever built, up to 14 MW+ per turbine with blades over 100 m long. Its prototype has generated record high outputs, helping reduce the cost of offshore wind and speeding deployment in major wind farms like Dogger Bank. 

11. Honourable Mention: Solar Impulse 2 – The Solar-Powered Plane

Solar Impulse 2 doesn’t generate grid electricity, but it flew around the world using only solar power, with more than 17,000 solar cells on its wings. The mission demonstrated what’s possible for ultra-efficient, zero-fuel flight and continues to inspire innovation in clean technologies.

Why We Love renewables

These projects highlight the diversity of solutions driving the global energy transition. From megastructures at sea to clever uses of limited land, renewable infrastructure continues to evolve at pace.

As Australia ramps up its own renewables pipeline, there’s plenty the local industry can learn from projects like these. And for emerging professionals, they offer a glimpse into the types of innovative, world-shaping assets you might help deliver in your career.