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.
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0.0GW
total global installed capacity of solar in 2024, compared to 1,135 GW of wind (Statistical Review of World Energy)
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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
Chile accelerates battery storage deployment to support renewable generation
15th June 2026
Chile's renewable energy sector is increasingly pairing large-scale battery energy storage systems (BESS) with new generation capacity as developers s...
COP31 presidency unveils 35% global electrification goal for 2035
15th June 2026
Organisers of this year’s Conference of the Parties (COP31) climate summit placed electrification at the centre of a new Action Agenda unveiled at the...
Thermal coal demand rises in Asia-Pacific because of Middle East conflict and LNG deficit
15th June 2026
Rystad Energy reports that a 35mn t LNG supply shortfall is forcing gas-dependent utilities to operate existing coal plants more. This practice is sup...
State commitments could lead to offshore wind farms occupying up to 11% of the North Sea by 2050, says study
15th June 2026
Such expansion would increase offshore wind coverage in the North Sea to about 58,500km² by 2050. But researchers from Heriot-Watt University, the Uni...
Longi leads global solar rankings, but trade barriers boost rival manufacturers
15th June 2026
China’s Longi Green Energy has taken the top spot in Wood Mackenzie’s Global solar PV module manufacturer ranking 2026. The ranking assesses 48 manufa...
Technical guidance publications
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 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 3634
SafetyOn Good practice guidance for HV contractors on wind farms
May 2026
The success of high-voltage (HV) operations on wind farms depends on a consistent and proactive approach to managing contractors, contractor safety an...
EI 3328
Guidance on the preservation and recommissioning of existing combined cycle gas turbine (CCGT) plant
May 2026
First-generation combined cycle gas turbine (CCGT) plants, introduced in the early 1990s, have increasingly been displaced by higher-efficiency plants...
EI 3617
G+ Managing the risk of moving, installed WTG blades striking a vessel
May 2026
This good practice guideline (GPG) aims to advance, share and encourage good practice for the management of safety risks associated with moving, insta...