Renewables now make up 30% 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.
You can find further information below about the technologies, costs and current developments within each of the seven major types of renewables:
Learn more about renewables by reading our Energy Insights.
For the latest news and articles on renewable energy read New Energy World.
View our dedicated Collections on Hydrogen.
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of solar energy capacity was added in 2023 worldwide (Statistical Review of World Energy)
0million
jobs in the renewable energy sector in 2023 (IRENA)
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share of total primary energy consumption worldwide was from renewables in 2023 (Statistical Review of World Energy)
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households in the UK (or equivalent) were powered by wind energy in 2023 (RenewableUK)
New Energy World stories
Two pioneering hybrid renewables projects in Germany and the Philippines aim to design out intermittency
1st October 2025
German utility EnBW has commissioned the initial phase of what will be the country’s first ever project to combine a solar park, wind turbines and bat...
TotalEnergies to operate France’s largest renewable energy project despite proposed exit of partner RWE
1st October 2025
The 1.5 GW offshore wind farm proposed by the TotalEnergies-RWE consortium will generate approximately 6 TWh/y and supply green electricity to the equ...
European manufacturing cost premiums raise solar LCOE 15% above that of Chinese-made panels
1st October 2025
The gap stems from higher costs in equipment (+40%), building and facilities (+110%), labour (+280%) and material costs (+50%), notes the analysis. As...
Technology – not feedstock – is key bottleneck to net zero aviation, trade body contends
1st October 2025
Its new study, published in partnership with Worley Consulting, argues that the world already has sufficient sustainable feedstock – biomass and power...
While Oman bets big on hydrogen, Kuwait’s ambitious renewables growth plans at the other end of the Persian Gulf may be overheating
24th September 2025
Grappling with relentless heat, ageing infrastructure and unplanned power outages has prompted major investments in grid reliability in Kuwait. Today,...
Technical guidance publications
EI 3596
SafetyOn Safe by Design workshop report: Review of the risks and control measures for current and ageing high voltage equipment (including boundary switches to low voltage equipment) in and around wind turbine generators
July 2025
This document has been produced to assist the onshore wind industry to reduce, and where practicable, eliminate the hazards associated with high-volta...
EI 3590
SafetyOn 2024 Incident data report
June 2025
This report presents the analysis of health and safety incident data submitted by SafetyOn members and serves to highlight key risk areas that can inf...
EI 3584
G+ Good practice guideline - Governance of mechanical lifting operations in the offshore wind industry
May 2025
This new G+ good practice guidance aims to share, advance and encourage good practice for the governance of lifting operations in the offshore wind in...
EI 3586
SafetyOn Good practice guidelines: Welfare in the onshore wind industry
March 2025
The first edition of the SafetyOn GPG on welfare in the onshore wind industry is a resource for wind companies to adopt and implement within their own...
EI 3462
Wind Turbine Safety Rules Procedure 5: Temporary application of an alternative safe systems of work
February 2025
The Wind Turbine Safety Rules (WTSRs) are a model set of Safety Rules and procedures to help formalise a Safe System of Work (SSoW) to manage the sign...