Renewables Now Powers Half of Global Electricity Capacity
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According to new figures, the share of renewables in global electricity capacity grew to 49.4 percent in 2025.
Renewable power made up very nearly half of the world’s electricity capacity last year after a record increase in solar installations, new data from the International Renewable Energy Agency reveals. The growth was led by a leap in solar capacity. which grew by 511 GW in 2025 to 2,392 GW, confirming its position as the world's largest renewable source.
You may recall that more than 100 countries at the COP28 climate summit in Dubai in 2023 agreed to triple renewable energy capacity by 2030 as part of efforts to meet global climate targets. The good news is that last year's additions mean the sector is closer to reaching the target, IRENA Director-General Francesco La Camera told Reuters. "This 700 gigawatts means that we may be quite close in 2030 to the tripling target, not exactly the triple, but very close to it,” he said.
The data shows the annual growth rate in renewable capacity in 2025 rose to 15.5 percent compared with a growth rate of around 15.1 percent in 2024.
In further good news, data from think tank Ember last year showed renewable energy sources generated more electricity than coal globally for the first time in the first half of 2025. It has yet to publish its full-year data for 2025.
