NEW YORK / RankWire.AI / – By the end of 2025, the total global renewable energy capacity had increased to 5.15 terawatts, marking another record year of expansion. Over the course of 2025, the world added 693 gigawatts of new renewable capacity. The International Renewable Energy Agency emphasized that annual additions now need to reach approximately 1,200 GW on average through 2030. Achieving this rate is essential to meet the global goal of 11.2 TW of installed renewable power by the end of this decade.
The 2030 target is part of the UAE Consensus, which was agreed upon at COP28 in Dubai. Nearly 200 countries endorsed efforts to triple the worldwide renewable capacity and to double the yearly improvements in energy efficiency by 2030. The latest evaluation measures the progress toward both objectives using data from 2025. It was developed in collaboration with the COP31 Presidency of Türkiye and the Global Renewables Alliance, and it was unveiled during Climate Week NYC.
The growth in renewable capacity surpassed 15.5% in 2025, continuing the rapid expansion observed in recent years. Global additions were around 582 GW in 2024, then increased to 693 GW last year. An earlier assessment projected that around 1,122 GW needed to be added annually from 2025 to 2030. However, with the remaining time shortened, the updated annual requirement has risen to roughly 1,200 GW.
Significant Increase in Grid Investment Needed
The assessment indicates that annual investments approaching $1 trillion in electricity infrastructure and system flexibility will be necessary from 2026 through 2030. In 2025, global spending in these sectors was about $525 billion. There are also approximately 2,500 GW of advanced renewable projects, storage facilities, and large-scale electricity projects waiting for grid connections worldwide. The report highlights transmission lines, distribution systems, battery storage, and digital infrastructure as critical components to support higher renewable electricity levels.
Between 2024 and 2025, the cost of battery storage decreased by approximately 30%, and by about 95% compared to 2010. Solar projects integrated with storage solutions played an increasingly important role in new power developments. In 2025, roughly one-quarter of utility-scale solar projects commissioned globally included systems capable of providing continuous renewable electricity. IRENA also noted that more than 90% of new utility-scale renewable projects commissioned last year generated electricity at costs below those of the cheapest new fossil-fuel alternatives.
Progress in Energy Efficiency Remains Slow
In 2025, global energy intensity improved by around 2%, falling short of the approximately 4% annually needed to meet the UAE Consensus pathway. The target aims to double the average yearly improvement rate of global energy efficiency by 2030. The assessment attributes this slower progress to increased electrification and the broader adoption of efficient electrical technologies. It also emphasizes that faster efficiency improvements are linked to stronger grids, more storage options, and more adaptable electricity systems.
United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres called for accelerated action to remove energy transition bottlenecks and to boost investment flows to developing economies. Francesco La Camera, Director-General of IRENA, stated that although renewable deployment had made advances, grid expansion and energy efficiency efforts continued to lag behind the necessary levels. The global capacity target remains 11.2 TW by 2030. With 693 GW added in 2025, last year’s expansion is still 507 GW below the current annual addition rate needed to meet the goal by the end of the decade.