Despite a record 5.15TW of renewable power capacity installed at the end of 2025, the world must still build more renewable power capacity in 2026-2030 than in all previous years combined, International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA), tracking finds.

To meet the global target of tripling renewables to 11.2TW by 2030, installed capacity must build at more than double today’s levels, from an already record 693GW of new renewables power in 2025, the growth rate will need to accelerate to 1.2TW on average between 2026 and 2030.

Delivering on the UAE Consensus: Tracking progress toward tripling renewable energy capacity and doubling energy efficiency by 2030 also shows that energy intensity improved by around 2 per cent in 2025, far below the 4 per cent needed to meet the UAE Consensus energy savings goal.

António Guterres, UN secretary-general, said: “Renewable energy records are being smashed year after year as the clean energy revolution accelerates. But we must go further and faster to clear the bottlenecks that delay the transition, drive investment to developing countries, and break our addiction to volatile fossil fuels once and for all.”

IRENA predicts that by 2030, variable renewables like solar and wind will overtake total fossil fuel capacity and account for around 62 per cent of total installed power, from 35 per cent in 2025. Storage costs are falling too, helping smooth the variable nature of some renewables, with battery storage costs falling by 30 per cent between 2024-2025 and 95 per cent since 2010. Consequently 24/7 renewables, co-located solar and storage, are moving into the mainstream, accounting for around one-quarter of utility-scale solar commissioned globally in 2025.

Electrification plays a key role in meeting the UAE Consensus to double the global rate of energy efficiency improvement by 2030. Looking beyond 2030, the report notes that further acceleration will be needed to raise global electrification to 35 per cent by 2035, and a roadmap currently under discussion of the COP31 agenda could provide a clear benchmark for scaling up efficient, renewable-based electrification across end-use sectors.

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