LONDON, Sept 21 (Reuters) – The global deployment of renewable energy needs to more than double to meet a climate-growth target by 2030, although it reached a record level last year, according to a report released on Monday by industry groups.
More than 100 countries at COP28 climate summit held in Dubai in 2023 agreed to triple renewable energy capacity by 2030. In 2025, the world added just over 690 gigawatts of renewable energy capacity.
Thus, installations still need to accelerate to about 1,200 GW, on average, each year through 2030, to meet the target of tripling capacity, according to the report prepared by the International Renewable Energy Agency, the COP31 Presidency and the Global Renewable Energy Alliance.
The total installed global renewable energy capacity reached 5.15 terawatts by the end of 2025, still less than half the 11.2 TW target needed to fulfil the commitment.
Energy efficiency measures are also lagging, with energy intensity improving about 2% in 2025, below the annual 4% rate required to fulfil the commitments to double efficiency.
“Renewables can still fill the gap by 2030, but energy efficiency is lagging behind, electricity demand is growing faster than expected and the grid infrastructure has not kept pace,” said Francesco La Camera, the director-general of the International Renewable Energy Agency, in the report.
On average, nearly US$1 trillion per year in investments in the grid are needed between 2026 and 2030, according to the report, up from US$525 billion registered in 2025.
Ben Backwell, president of the Global Renewable Energy Alliance, said governments need “to make renewable energy a national economic priority,” including through expanding grids, deploying storage systems and electrifying homes, transport and industry.
It is expected that this year’s COP climate negotiations, to be held in Turkey in November, will focus on using electricity to power more sectors and push for 35% of global final energy consumption to be achieved by 2035.
