Global renewable electricity capacity has overtaken coal to become the world's largest installed power source for the first time, after a record-breaking year in which half a million solar panels were installed every day.

Some 153 gigawatts (GW) of renewable power capacity – more than the total generation capacity of Canada - was installed during the course of 2015, making it the fastest-growing electricity source, the International Energy Agency said.

This was primarily due to unprecedented expansion of solar and onshore wind, with two new wind turbines installed every hour in China, which was the “undisputable global leader of renewable energy expansion”.

As a result, worldwide renewable capacity hit 1,985 GW, or about 31pc of global power capacity, just pipping coal-fired power, which stands at 1,951 GW, the IEA said.