Renewables reached nearly half of global electricity capacity in 2025, driven by record solar installations, but the pace of growth slowed and fossil fuel additions rebounded sharply, threatening international climate goals.

Solar dominated new capacity, accounting for three-quarters of 2025's renewable additions totaling 692 GW, lifting total renewable capacity to 49.4% of global electricity supply. This marks a significant milestone, though variable renewables like solar and wind combined for only 35% of total capacity. The surge followed a 15.5% YoY increase, though IRENA notes the 85.6% share of new capacity was a slight decrease from 2024's 92%.

China led a sharp rebound in non-renewable additions, nearly doubling last year's fossil fuel projects to 100 GW, primarily coal. This growth, fueled by AI datacenter demand and US gas policies, contrasts with the COP28 pledge to triple renewable capacity to over 11 TW by 2030. Current levels stand at 5.15 TW, requiring "significant acceleration" to meet the 2030 target, according to IRENA's warning.