Renewables reached nearly 50% of global electricity capacity last year

Summary

It was a strong year for renewable power expansion in 2025, with solar installations helping push renewables to nearly half of global electricity capacity, but 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 report, published on Wednesday, found that renewables dominated new power additions last year, accounting for 85.6 percent of global capacity expansion. Solar, in turn, was the dominant renewable technology, accounting for nearly three-quarters of last year's renewable capacity additions. Those additions totaled 692 GW in 2025, lifting installed renewable capacity by a record 15.5 percent year over year, IRENA noted. By the end of last year, renewables accounted for 49.4 percent of global installed electricity capacity, while variable renewable sources such as solar and wind represented roughly 35 percent of total capacity. For reference, it 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 release, renewable 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 Camera, conflicts like the Iranian mess are a perfect reason to push for more renewable adoption. "A more decentralised energy system, with a growing share of renewables and more market players, is structurally more resilient," La Camera said in a statement. "Countries that invested in the energy transition are weathering this crisis with less economic damage, as they boost energy security, resilience and competitiveness." Accelerating adoption is all well and good, but IRENA itself still isn't convinced last year's gains will be enough: Yes, the overall trend in renewable deployment shows renewables outpacing fossil fuel expansion, but not entirely. Per IRENA's da...