Irena report: the world must accelerate to triple renewables by 2030

With a total renewable energy capacity of 5.15 terawatts (Tw) installed at the end of 2025, the world can still close the gap on the agreed global renewables target of tripling to 11.2 TW by 2030, but it needs to accelerate substantially. Installed capacity will need to more than double compared to current levels. A record 693 gigawatts (GW) of new renewable capacity were added in 2025, but the annual pace of growth will need to rise to an average of 1,200 GW between 2026 and 2030.

This was stated in a report published by the International Renewable Energy Agency (Irena), the Turkish presidency of COP31 and the Global Renewables Alliance (Gra), the global alliance of renewables, on the occasion of Climate Week in New York. This is the third evaluation of the progress made towards the objectives set by the agreement known as the Uae Consensus, signed at COP28.

The report, titled 'Delivering on the UAE Consensus: Tracking progress toward tripling renewable energy capacity and doubling energy efficiency by 2030', also shows that energy intensity improved by around 2% in 2025, far from the 4% needed to achieve the UAE Consensus energy saving target.

The main indications of the report concern the strengthening of networks, with annual investments close to 1,000 billion dollars between 2026 and 2030, more than double compared to 2025 levels; the spread of efficient electrical technologies, to expand batteries, storage and flexibility and meet growing demand reliably; the strengthening of renewables available 24 hours a day, through the combination of solar, wind and storage to obtain stable and competitive energy; and the use of artificial intelligence (AI), to align, through digitalisation, growing electricity demand with clean supply and more intelligent system management.