Last Update: 06/03/2026 at 7:50 AM EST
Global Renewable Power Acceleration
Coverage from Carbon Brief, Electrek, and others
Articles
25
Latest Article
05/29
Active Days
66
Executive Summary
Recent reporting shows renewables reached record levels in 2025, with solar driving most new capacity and wind also rising strongly. Clean generation met or exceeded global electricity demand growth, while batteries and grid upgrades became more central to further expansion. The strongest signal is acceleration in solar-led deployment across China, the US, India, the EU, and the Middle East, alongside uneven regional progress and continued concerns about whether deployment is fast enough to meet 2030 goals. The topic is coherent and structurally important, with high source agreement on core trends but some variation in scope between global statistics, national policy updates, and longer-range forecasts.
Key Points
- Renewable capacity and generation both reached new highs in 2025, with solar providing most of the growth and wind adding substantial volume.
- Clean electricity growth matched or exceeded demand growth in several analyses, and fossil generation was flat or slightly lower overall.
- Battery storage emerged as a key enabling technology, with falling costs and rising deployment helping shift more solar output into other hours.
- Deployment remains highly concentrated in a few large markets, especially China, the United States, the European Union, and India.
- Regional gaps remain large: Asia dominates additions, while Africa and some other regions contribute a much smaller share of global growth.
- Policy, procurement, and grid integration are now recurring constraints, especially where rooftop solar, wind, and storage need faster interconnection and financing.
- Several sources stress that current growth is strong but still not enough on its own to guarantee 2030 tripling targets or economy-wide decarbonization.
Featured Article
IRENA reported 692 GW of renewable capacity additions in 2025, led by solar, with Asia dominating growth and Middle East gains tied to Saudi Arabia.
Coverage Timeline: 66 Days
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Additional Articles
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The International Energy Agency reported 2025 global energy demand grew 1.3% and electricity demand rose about 3%, driven by electrification, rising EV adoption, and solar-led supply growth.
Renewable Energies Overtook Global Electricity Demand Last Year, Led By Solar Growth In China, India
Ember reports 2025 solar growth and faster battery storage expansion helped clean power exceed electricity demand growth globally as fossil generation flattened.
Ember’s Global Electricity Review 2026 reports renewables reached 33.8 percent of world electricity in 2025, driven by fast-growing solar and battery deployment.
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Ember reports renewables replaced coal as the leading global electricity source in 2025 as wind and solar met nearly all electricity-demand growth.
Ember research reports solar and wind met most global electricity demand growth in 2025 while fossil generation fell slightly, with battery storage playing a key role as grid upgrades are needed.
Ember reported that 2025 clean electricity generation rose faster than global electricity demand, with solar-led growth and battery-supported midday shifting driving fossil fuel declines across major regions.
International Renewable Energy Agency data shared with Reuters reports record global renewable capacity in 2025, led by solar growth and approaching COP28 tripling targets.
GlobalData forecasts renewables will exceed 40% of global electricity generation by 2030, driven by cost declines and decarbonization amid geopolitical energy-security concerns.
Ember reports that solar and wind generation met all global electricity demand growth in 2025, while fossil generation fell in China and India.
APSPDCL reported 78,250 rooftop solar installations in Andhra Pradesh by using PM Surya Ghar Muft Bijli Yojana, net metering, and central subsidies.
Mercom India Research reported India added 2.7 GW rooftop solar in Q1 2026, driven primarily by the PM Surya Ghar program.
Global Wind Energy Council data report 165 GW of new wind power capacity in 2025, led by China and Asia-Pacific, reaching 1,299 GW worldwide.
India added 6.1 GW of wind power in 2025/26, raising installed capacity above 56.1 GW and aiming for 100 GW by 2030.
China, the European Union, and the United States expand solar photovoltaic capacity as costs fall and coal generation shares decline from 2015 levels.
In March 2026, U.S. solar and wind generation surpassed natural gas for the first full month on record, supporting projections of a renewable-dominated 2026 electricity capacity build.
Ember reported in 2025 that solar and wind electricity growth met global demand increases and reduced fossil-fuel generation worldwide.
IRENA reported that renewables reached 49% of installed global power capacity by end-2025, adding 692 GW led by solar amid fuel-shipping disruptions.
Ember reports rising solar, wind, and battery-driven power generation in Australia and globally, while transport, agriculture, and land emissions keep broader mitigation needs urgent near 1.5C.
U.S. Energy Information Administration reported January 2026 U.S. renewable generation above a quarter and projected further solar, wind, and battery additions through January 2027.
In 2025, FERC data reviewed by the SUN DAY Campaign indicates solar and wind dominated U.S. generating capacity additions, totaling 88.4% of new capacity.
IRENA reported that global solar PV added 510GW in 2025, lifting total renewable capacity to 5,149GW and making renewables 85.6% of new electricity capacity.
IRENA reported renewables provided 85.6% of global capacity expansion in 2025, but non-renewable rebound and insufficient acceleration threaten COP28 2030 targets.
China and the European Union lead rapid solar PV expansion from 2015 to 2025 as module price declines drive cost competitiveness, despite remaining grid and storage constraints.
In the US during 2025-2026, solar and battery storage additions accelerate while submersible hydropower projects expand interest in new clean generation sites.