Solar Power Leads Clean Energy Growth

The International Energy Agency (IEA) has published its annual "Renewable 2025" report , which examines global trends in renewable energy.

According to Anadolu Agency (AA), global renewable energy installations are projected to reach a record high of 685 GW in 2024, a 22% increase year-over-year. Despite increasing policy uncertainty and regulatory challenges, renewable energy capacity additions this year are projected to break a new record with 750 GW. Solar energy is expected to account for 80% of this capacity, while wind energy accounts for 18%. China is projected to commission 465 GW of this capacity this year.

Globally, an additional 4,600 GW of renewable energy capacity is projected to come online between 2025 and 2030. This growth is more than double the increase from 2019 to 2024 and almost equal to the combined electricity generation capacity of China, the European Union, and Japan.

Solar energy is leading the way in strong growth in renewable energy capacity, with solar energy projected to account for 80% of the expected capacity increase over the next five years. Decreasing costs and faster permitting processes are contributing to the rapid growth in solar capacity.

Wind and hydroelectric resources are expected to follow solar energy in capacity growth, and geothermal energy capacity installations are also expected to reach record levels during this period. Record growth in geothermal energy is expected to be driven by growth in many countries, particularly Turkey, the US, Japan, Indonesia, and the Philippines.

Despite the rapid increase expected in global renewable energy capacity by 2030, this capacity remains below the level needed for the commitment to “triple global renewable energy capacity by 2030” announced at the United Nations Climate Summit COP28, hosted by Dubai in 2023, representing a 2.6-fold increase over capacity in 2022.

India Follows China

On the other hand, due to policy changes in the US and China, the IEA lowered its capacity increase expectation for 2030 by 5 percent compared to its October 2024 forecast, and revised its growth forecast for the US downward by 50 percent due to regulatory changes regarding the early termination of government incentives.

However, growth in India, Europe, and many other emerging economies is projected to offset the weakening in the US and China. With strong capacity growth over the 2025-2030 period, India is on track to become the second-largest renewable energy market in the world after China, and is projected to comfortably meet its 2030 targets.

According to the report, policy implementation and market advances across Europe are accelerating renewable energy deployment. Europe's renewable energy capacity is projected to increase by 67% between 2025 and 2030, reaching 1,612 GW.

It is estimated that 75% of the increase during this period will come from eight countries: Germany, the UK, Spain, Turkey, Italy, France, Poland, and the Netherlands. Solar energy is the leading driver of growth in these countries.

In his assessment of the report, IEA President Fatih Birol stated that growth in global renewable energy capacity in the coming years will continue to be led by solar energy, but wind, hydroelectricity, bioenergy, and geothermal will also make significant contributions to this growth.

Birol noted that solar power will account for 80 percent of the increase in global renewable energy capacity over the next five years, saying, "Solar capacity will increase in Saudi Arabia, Pakistan, and some other Southeast Asian economies. As the role of renewable energy sources in many countries' electricity systems increases, policymakers must pay attention to the challenges of supply chain security and grid integration."