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Solar led the expansion of renewable power in 2025, while batteries began moving some of that electricity into later hours. But more generation capacity does not automatically mean more power delivered: grid queues, transmission investment, uneven deployment and changing policies all shape how quickly the transition can proceed. The figures below describe reported 2025 results and clearly labeled forecasts, not a completed 2026 scorecard.
What are the biggest renewable energy trends shaping 2026?
These ten developments are an evidence-based way to understand the forces shaping the power sector—not a published ranking. The starting point is 2025, the latest full-year baseline in the figures cited here. The International Energy Agency (IEA), the International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA) and Ember report some different totals because their datasets, definitions, estimation methods and update timing differ. Their figures should be attributed, not averaged.
It also helps to keep three measures separate: capacity is the maximum power plants could produce under suitable conditions; generation is the electricity they actually produced over time; and share is the portion of total electricity generation supplied by a source. A record in one measure does not automatically establish a record in the others.
1. Solar supplied most new renewable capacity
The IEA estimates that global renewable capacity additions reached 800 gigawatts (GW) in 2025. Solar photovoltaic (PV) supplied more than three-quarters of those additions, exceeding 600 GW for the first time. At the end of the year, cumulative solar PV capacity stood at about 2,800 GW, according to the IEA. These are capacity figures: they describe the build-out of generation equipment, not how much electricity it delivered.
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2. Solar made a record contribution to electricity growth
The IEA says solar met more than one-quarter of global primary energy demand growth in 2025. For electricity generation specifically, the IEA reports that solar output increased by 600 terawatt-hours (TWh), a record annual rise. Ember reports a 636 TWh increase in solar electricity generation for the same year. Those are separate estimates from different organizations; they should not be combined into a single figure.
3. Wind additions rebounded, but output still depends on weather
The IEA estimates that about 160 GW of wind capacity was added worldwide in 2025, almost 40% more than in 2024. Wind generation rose about 8% that year, but poor wind conditions in major markets constrained output. This illustrates why annual capacity growth and annual electricity generation can move at different rates: installed turbines do not produce at their maximum whenever the grid needs power.
4. Renewables reached a major generation milestone, with different agency readings
Ember’s accounting puts renewables at 33.8% of global electricity generation in 2025, above coal at 33.0%. The IEA says renewable output virtually matched coal based on its latest available data. The descriptions differ, so neither should be presented as a single universally agreed measurement. In its mid-year update, the IEA forecast that renewables would overtake coal in 2026; that is an outlook, not a confirmed full-year 2026 result.
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Ember estimates that battery deployment reached 250 gigawatt-hours (GWh) in 2025, up 46% from the previous year. It estimates that installed battery capacity could shift 14% of new solar generation from midday into other hours. That is a time-shifting contribution, not a claim that batteries eliminate solar variability, supply power indefinitely or replace the need for a reliable grid.
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6. Grid connection queues are keeping projects from becoming delivered power
The IEA reports that more than 2,500 GW of renewable, storage and large-load projects worldwide are stalled in grid connection queues. A queue represents proposed or waiting projects, not built capacity or guaranteed future generation. The IEA estimates that flexible connections and grid-enhancing technologies together could unlock 1,200–1,600 GW of advanced-stage projects. That potential depends on projects meeting the relevant technical and regulatory requirements.
7. Transmission investment and better use of existing networks are both needed
The IEA says annual grid investment would need to rise by roughly 50% by 2030 from USD 400 billion to meet forecast demand. New transmission takes time to plan and build, so the agency also points to ways to use existing networks more effectively, including flexible connection agreements, dynamic line ratings and power-flow controls. Such measures can help manage constraints, but they do not remove the need for adequate network capacity.
8. Renewable deployment remains concentrated geographically
The IEA estimates that China installed nearly 500 GW of renewable capacity in 2025—more than 60% of global growth by its measure. IRENA reports that China, the United States and the European Union together accounted for 79.5% of renewable capacity additions that year, while Africa accounted for 1.6%. These regional figures are IRENA’s additions statistics; the IEA’s China estimate is a separate agency measure. Together they show that global growth is not evenly distributed.
9. Policy and market rules can quickly alter project economics
Policy changes do not point in one universal direction. The IEA describes China’s shift from fixed tariffs toward competitive auctions, while changes in U.S. tax incentives, restrictions and permitting affected its outlook for that market. Auctions, incentives, restrictions and approval processes influence different parts of a project’s economics and timeline. Their effects vary by jurisdiction, so a policy change in one country is not evidence of a global policy shift.
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10. The 2030 tripling ambition remains ahead of the IEA’s main case
In its 2025 outlook, the IEA projects 9,530 GW of cumulative global renewable capacity by 2030 in its main case. It compares that with about 11,500 GW, the capacity level implied by tripling 2022 capacity. The agency’s accelerated case reaches more than 10,400 GW if barriers are addressed. Both numbers are scenario projections, not measured outcomes; even the accelerated case remains below the level associated with the tripling ambition.
Is renewable energy replacing coal?
Renewables’ reported share of global electricity exceeded coal’s in Ember’s 2025 accounting, while the IEA described renewable output as virtually matching coal using its latest available data. That is an important milestone, but it does not mean coal disappeared or that every grid has the same mix. The comparison is about electricity generation over a year, not installed capacity, all forms of energy use or the supply available in every hour and location.
The distinction matters because a global annual share can conceal local and hourly differences. Generation depends on weather and operating conditions, while demand and grid constraints vary. Batteries can shift some output, but the figures above do not establish that storage or transmission has eliminated those variations.
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Why do reports give different totals for renewable growth?
For 2025 capacity additions, the IEA reports 800 GW globally, while IRENA reports 692 GW. Those figures are not a reason to calculate an informal midpoint. Each reflects its publisher’s data, definitions, estimation methods and timing. Use the relevant agency’s figure with its attribution, and compare like with like: annual additions against annual additions, cumulative capacity against cumulative capacity, or generation against generation.
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The same care applies to generation milestones. Ember’s 33.8% renewable share and 33.0% coal share are Ember’s 2025 accounting; the IEA’s description is that renewables virtually matched coal based on its latest available data. Neither wording should be silently substituted for the other.
What does the 2026 electricity outlook imply?
The IEA forecasts electricity demand growth of 3.6% in 2026 and 3.8% in 2027. These are forecast rates, not reported growth results. Rising demand makes the ability to connect projects and deliver electricity increasingly consequential: generation capacity on paper cannot meet load if the network cannot carry the power where and when it is needed.
That is why the transition cannot be judged by new solar or wind installations alone. Capacity additions show the scale of construction; generation shows actual output; grid queues and transmission investment indicate whether projects can connect and serve demand. Batteries address part of the timing challenge, while policy and geography affect where construction happens and at what pace.
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