Renewable power now close to 50% worldwide

Renewable energy accounted for nearly half of global power capacity by the end of 2025, according to new data from the International Renewable Energy Agency (Irena).

Last year saw the largest-ever recorded increase in renewable energy capacity – a 15.5% annual increase, or 692 gigawatts (GW) of added renewable capacity, the agency said in a report published last week.

This continues a trend that has seen renewable power additions reaching new records almost every year since the turn of the millennium owing to their “competitiveness and resilience,” said Francesco la Camera, Irena’s director general.

Renewables accounted for 49% of installed power capacity globally and comprised 85.6% of the total global power added in 2025.

Driving this growth was solar energy, which alone accounted for nearly three-quarters of all renewable additions – a record 510 GW. Wind came in second, with 159 GW added in one year.

But disparities among countries and regions persisted. China continued to lead the renewable energy market, reaching a total cumulative capacity of 2 258 016 MW in 2025 – a 24.2% increase over the previous year and far more than the capacity added cumulatively in each continent. China, the United States and the European Union together accounted for 79.5% of the new renewable capacity installed globally.

Meanwhile, Africa’s added capacity amounted to just 1.6% of all global additions despite its capacity rising by a record 15.9%, driven by Ethiopia, South Africa and Egypt.

While renewables now make up nearly half of global capacity, they contribute a smaller share of actual electricity generation – some 32% in 2024.

Electricity is only one segment of total global energy, which remains dominated by fossil fuels used in heavy industry and long-haul transport like shipping and aviation.

The report comes amid a global energy crunch sparked by the US-Israeli attacks on Iran in late February and a conflict that has quickly spread across the Middle East.

But the crisis is not affecting all countries equally. Analysts note that nations with a robust renewable base are embracing the energy independence it provides and have been mostly insulated from the market shock.

– earth.org

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