The World Added a Record 693 Gigawatts of Renewables in 2025

IRENA reported that the world added 693 GW of renewable power in 2025 — more than half the entire installed generating capacity of the United States — taking total renewable capacity to 5.15 TW, about 49.5% of global power capacity.

Simon Stiell, the UN climate chief, said the boom avoided almost US$500 billion in fossil fuel costs last year, calling market forces now strong enough to make the clean-energy shift irreversible.

The COP28 pledge was to triple renewable capacity to 11.2 TW by 2030. If 2025's growth rate holds, the world would reach about 10.6 TW — 0.6 TW short, a narrower gap than last year's 0.9 TW assessment. Grids, storage, and network investment remain the bottleneck. It is, however, the strongest build year on record.

Key Facts

• 693 GW added in 2025 (record)
• 5.15 TW total renewable capacity; 49.5% of global power capacity
• About US$480–500 billion in fossil fuel costs avoided
• 2030 tripling target: 11.2 TW; current-runway estimate 10.6 TW

Why This Matters

Record build-out plus hundreds of billions in avoided fossil spend is evidence that market forces, not just pledges, are now driving the energy transition. The remaining gap is real, but the direction of travel is no longer in doubt.

What We Don't Know Yet

Capacity is not generation. Energy efficiency is lagging its doubling pledge. The remaining 0.6 TW gap plus roughly a trillion dollars a year in grid investment is still a political problem.

Sources: IRENA · Reuters
Published 21 September 2026 · Category: Environment & Climate