The fossil age is indeed about to end. However, decarbonization has promoted renewable energy production with a declining environmental carbon emission rate.
The IEA’s Renewables 2025 report outlines a compelling outlook for global clean energy. The report forecasts rapid expansion of renewable technologies across electricity, heat, and transport through 2030 while highlighting persistent challenges in policy, financing, and grid integration.
Renewable energy is rapidly reshaping the global electricity mix. Renewable energy sources are expected to become the largest source of electricity generation worldwide by the mid-2020s. The share of renewables in global electricity generation is projected to rise substantially from about 32 % in 2024 to around 43 % by 2030; driven by unprecedented growth in solar PV and wind capacity. This expansion indicates that renewable sources are on track to supply nearly half of the world’s electricity within the decade. This underscores their central role in the energy transition and efforts to decarbonize power systems.
Solar PV is projected to lead global renewable growth, more than doubling capacity over the next five years, with wind and hydropower also contributing significantly despite supply chain and cost pressures.
The overall forecast was revised down slightly compared to last year. It is largely due to policy shifts in major markets like the United States and China; renewables are still expected to expand substantially. All driven by competitive auctions and increasing deployment in emerging economies.
Global renewable electricity generation share (2024 estimates):
• Hydropower: ~14 % of total global electricity generation — the largest single renewable source.
• Wind power: ~8 % of global electricity generation — the second biggest contributor among renewables.
• Solar PV: ~7 % of global electricity generation — rapidly growing and now comparable to wind.
• Bioenergy & other renewables (including biomass, geothermal, waste): ~3 % of total electricity.
Together, these renewable sources accounted for roughly 32 % of global electricity generation in 2024. Hydropower remained dominant among renewables. Whereas solar and wind are the fastest-growing technologies and together form the bulk of recent and near-term renewable power expansion.
This growth trajectory supports international climate goals and suggests that renewables could become the dominant source of electricity. Such insights provide governments accelerate adoption and address implementation hurdles.