Renewables reached nearly 50% of global electricity capacity last year

It was a strong year for renewable power expansion in 2025with solar installations helping push renewables to nearly half of global electricity capacitybut that does not mean the world is yet on pace to meet its renewable energy commitments.

The International Renewable Energy Agency's (IRENA) 2026 Renewable Capacity Statistics reportpublished on Wednesdayfound that renewables dominated new power additions last yearaccounting for 85.6 percent of global capacity expansion. Solarin turnwas the dominant renewable technologyaccounting for nearly three-quarters of last year's renewable capacity additions.

Those additions totaled 692 GW in 2025lifting installed renewable capacity by a record 15.5 percent year over yearIRENA noted. By the end of last yearrenewables accounted for 49.4 percent of global installed electricity capacitywhile variable renewable sources such as solar and wind represented roughly 35 percent of total capacity. 

For referenceit was only in 2023 that renewable energy sources crossed the threshold of generating 30 percent of the world's electricity.

As IRENA notes in a press releaserenewable energy is back in the spotlight amid the US conflict in Iran causing a spike in fuel prices and energy (i.e.oil) instability. According to IRENA Director General Francesco La Cameraconflicts like the Iranian mess are a perfect reason to push for more renewable adoption. 

"A more decentralised energy systemwith a growing share of renewables and more market playersis structurally more resilient," La Camera said in a statement. "Countries that invested in the energy transition are weathering this crisis with less economic damageas they boost energy securityresilience and competitiveness."

Accelerating adoption is all well and goodbut IRENA itself still isn't convinced last year's gains will be enough: Yesthe overall trend in renewable deployment shows renewables outpacing fossil fuel expansionbut not entirely. 

Per IRENA's datathat aforementioned 85.6 percent share of new power capacity additions was actually a decrease from 2024when renewables were about 92 percent of global capacity additions. Yesthe share of total installed power capacity in 2025 rose againbut non-renewable capacity additions also rebounded sharply last year.

"At the global level2025 also saw a sharp rebound in non-renewable additionswhich nearly doubled compared to 2024," IRENA noted. China led that drivewith 100 GW of non-renewable capacity added last yearmost of which was coal.

• Renewables blow past nuclear when it comes to cheap datacenter juice
• Trump may hate renewablesbut AI datacenters still fancy cheap solar
• US cities are going to struggle to green up their act by 2050
• Senators want datacenters to come clean on power consumption

If you've been watching the datacenter and AI spaceit's no surprise that non-renewable energy projects have been popular. Natural gas energy projects nearly tripled in the US last yearputting America ahead of China when it comes to total gas power projectswhile coal has been seeing a resurgence too. In both casesyou can thank AI datacenter projects for much of that growthalong with the US government's policy of promoting AI development over sustainability. 

World leaders pledged at COP28 in 2023 to triple installed renewable energy capacity to more than 11 TW by 2030. As of the end of 2025the world is at 5.15 TW of renewables; along with the push to expand fossil fuels in recent yearsIRENA is worried that goal won't be reached. 

"Significant acceleration will be required to meet the goal adopted at COP28 to triple installed renewable power capacity to more than 11 TW by 2030," the agency concluded. ®