The world is still able to close the gap to meet the globally agreed renewable energy goal but must move much faster, says the International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA).
There was a total 5.15TW of renewable power capacity installed at the end of 2025 but to meet the global target of tripling renewables to 11.2TW by 2030, installed capacity must more than double today’s levels.
IRENA, COP31 Presidency Türkiye, and the Global Renewables Alliance (GRA) released the report during Climate Week NYC and is the third assessment of progress towards the landmark energy goals set by the UAE Consensus at COP28.
The report highlights progress and opportunities alongside persistent bottlenecks in investments, grids and electrification.
It urges policymakers to take bolder action ahead of COP31 by investing almost $1 trillion between 2026 and 2030 and ensure batteries and storage can meet rising demand reliability.
António Guterres, United Nations Secretary-General, said: “Renewable energy records are being smashed year after year as the clean energy revolution accelerates. But we must go further and faster to clear the bottlenecks that delay the transition, drive investment to developing countries, and break our addiction to volatile fossil fuels once and for all.”
The report also strives to combine solar, wind and storage to get around-the-clock power and use AI to align rising electricity demand with clean supply and smarter system operations.
IRENA say that delivering this level of deployment would mark a major shift in the global power system.
Looking beyond 2030, further acceleration will be needed to raise global electrification to 35% by 2035. A roadmap currently under discussion of the COP31 agenda could provide a clear benchmark for renewable-based electrification across end-use sectors.
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