Renewables now make up 32% of global electricity generation
Renewable energy, sourced from replenishable natural resources like sunlight, wind, and geothermal heat, is pivotal in electricity generation, heating, cooling, and transportation. It offers off-grid solutions for remote areas, produces minimal greenhouse gases, and enhances energy security due to its wide geographical distribution. As global efforts to mitigate climate change intensify, the shift to low-carbon energy, led by renewables, is accelerating. Technologies such as solar PV and wind are becoming cost-competitive with fossil fuels. Increasing the renewable share in energy systems involves electrifying heating and transport sectors, using biofuels, and deploying solar water heating, biomass burners, and geothermal heating. Achieving climate goals requires rapid renewable energy deployment across all sectors, supported by favourable policies and market conditions.
View our dedicated Collection on the A-Z of the Energy Transition.
For the latest news and articles on renewable energy, read New Energy World.
0.0GW
total global installed capacity of solar in 2024, compared to 1,135 GW of wind (Statistical Review of World Energy)
0
was the first year that solar electricity generation surpassed coal in the European Union (Statistical Review of World Energy)
0%
share of total global generation from wind and solar in 2024 (Statistical Review of World Energy)
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million households in the UK (or equivalent) were powered by wind energy in 2024 (RenewableUK)
New Energy World stories
Rising global energy demand puts toughest climate targets further out of reach
29th September 2026
The report finds energy demand in emerging and developing economies (EMDEs) could rise by more than 60% by 2060, adding the equivalent of another Chin...
European Union and UNECE move to regulate data centre expansion
29th September 2026
The scheme is said to be specifically designed to address increasing power demand from artificial intelligence (AI) models and cloud computing infrast...
Onshore wind (excluding system costs) wins in international electricity generation cost comparison
22nd September 2026
The report, which provides comparable plant-level generation cost data for 23 technologies submitted by 21 countries, found that utility-scale onshore...
Wind turbine sets ‘world record’ with 199m hub height in Germany
22nd September 2026
A Vestas V172-7.2MW turbine has been installed at Winnberg near Sengenthal, Germany, with a hub height of 199m and a total height of 285m. The tu...
Industry coalition targets hydrogen truck rollout across Europe
22nd September 2026
Volvo Group, Daimler Truck, Toyota Motor Corporation, Bosch, Air Liquide, TotalEnergies, Teal Mobility and MB Energy announced the initiative at the I...
Technical guidance publications
EI 3604
Embedding circularity across the life cycle of assets
July 2026
EI 3604 Embedding circularity across the lifecycle of assets helps companies integrate circular economy principles into every stage of an asset’s life...
EI 3640
G+ 2025 incident data report
June 2026
The G+ 2025 incident data report examines the patterns behind health and safety performance of offshore wind projects among G+ members.This year saw c...
EI 3642
G+ Vessel management in offshore wind for new entrants and non-marine professionals
June 2026
EI 3642 G+ Vessel management in offshore wind for new entrants and non-marine professionals provides an accessible, non-technical overview of vessel m...
EI 3637
SafetyOn 2025 Onshore wind health and safety incident data report
June 2026
EI 3637 SafetyOn 2025 Onshore wind health and safety incident data report presents the analysis of health and safety incident data submitted by Safety...
EI 3635
G+ Welfare in offshore wind study: existing practices and future opportunities
June 2026
EI 3635 Welfare in offshore wind study: existing practices and future opportunities assesses current welfare practices, identifies gaps and explores o...