Record renewables capacity falls short of global target, REN21 says
A record 740 GW of renewable energy capacity was added worldwide last year, still not enough to meet a global goal to triple renewable capacity by 2030, a report by the Paris-based think tank REN21 showed on Tuesday.
A target was set at the COP28 UN climate conference in 2023 to triple the amount of renewables such as wind and solar to keep a 1.5 °C warming limit this century within reach.
Analysts tracking progress have said the world is not on course to triple capacity. The 1.5 °C limit also appears out of reach, they say.
Trajectories show a shortfall of 6.2 TW towards the goal, which is more than all renewables deployed to date, the REN21 report showed.
Solar photovoltaic accounted for 81% of new renewable power capacity last year as rooftop solar increased in developing countries and technology costs continued to fall. Solar PV is the only renewables technology on track to deliver its contribution to the global tripling capacity target.
Last year and in early 2025 many countries rolled back or delayed climate change measures as the US withdrew from the Paris Agreement and New Zealand reversed its ban on offshore oil and gas exploration.
Oil and gas companies and banks have also scaled back investments in the energy transition. Trade measures, even before US President Donald Trump's tariff action this year, also limited renewable development in 2024 as the West protected its industries against cheap Chinese competition.
"We are deploying renewables in record numbers, but we are not building the systems needed to transition to a renewables-based economy," said Rana Adib, executive director of REN21.
"Without coherent policies, coordinated planning, and resilient infrastructure including grids and storage, even record deployment cannot deliver speedy and lasting transformation," she added.
Comments
Projects
Latest Multimedia
Latest News
Showroom
Weir is a global leader in mining technology. We recognise that our planet’s future depends on the transition to renewable energy, and that...
VISIT SHOWROOM
ISO-certified Condra manufactures overhead cranes, portal cranes, cantilever cranes and crane components: hoists, drives, end-carriages, brakes and...
VISIT SHOWROOM
Press Office
Announcements
What's On
Subscribe to improve your user experience...
Option 1 (equivalent of R125 a month):
Receive a weekly copy of Creamer Media's Engineering News & Mining Weekly magazine
(print copy for those in South Africa and e-magazine for those outside of South Africa)
Receive daily email newsletters
Access to full search results
Access archive of magazine back copies
Access to Projects in Progress
Access to ONE Research Report of your choice in PDF format
Option 2 (equivalent of R375 a month):
All benefits from Option 1
PLUS
Access to Creamer Media's Research Channel Africa for ALL Research Reports, in PDF format, on various industrial and mining sectors
including Electricity; Water; Energy Transition; Hydrogen; Roads, Rail and Ports; Coal; Gold; Platinum; Battery Metals; etc.
Already a subscriber?
Forgotten your password?
Receive weekly copy of Creamer Media's Engineering News & Mining Weekly magazine (print copy for those in South Africa and e-magazine for those outside of South Africa)
➕
Recieve daily email newsletters
➕
Access to full search results
➕
Access archive of magazine back copies
➕
Access to Projects in Progress
➕
Access to ONE Research Report of your choice in PDF format
RESEARCH CHANNEL AFRICA
R4500 (equivalent of R375 a month)
SUBSCRIBEAll benefits from Option 1
➕
Access to Creamer Media's Research Channel Africa for ALL Research Reports on various industrial and mining sectors, in PDF format, including on:
Electricity
➕
Water
➕
Energy Transition
➕
Hydrogen
➕
Roads, Rail and Ports
➕
Coal
➕
Gold
➕
Platinum
➕
Battery Metals
➕
etc.
Receive all benefits from Option 1 or Option 2 delivered to numerous people at your company
➕
Multiple User names and Passwords for simultaneous log-ins
➕
Intranet integration access to all in your organisation
