Global installed renewable power capacity reached 5.15 terawatts at the end of 2025 after a record 693 gigawatts was added during the year, according to an International Renewable Energy Agency report reviewed by the Emirates News Agency in a September 24 report from Abu Dhabi.
IRENA estimates that average annual additions of about 1,200 GW from 2026 through 2030 would be required to reach 11.2 TW. The report also found that global energy intensity improved by roughly 2 percent in 2025, half the 4 percent annual pace used in its efficiency benchmark.
The report says annual spending on power grids and system flexibility would need to approach US$1 trillion between 2026 and 2030. It recorded a 30 percent decline in battery-storage costs from 2024 to 2025 and a 95 percent decline since 2010. Its projection puts variable renewables, including solar and wind, at about 62 percent of global installed power capacity by 2030, up from 35 percent in 2025. These are report estimates and projections, not completed future outcomes.
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