A record 740 gigawatts of renewable energy capacity was added worldwide last year, but it's still not enough to meet a global goal to triple renewable capacity by 2030, according to a report by the Paris-based thinktank REN21 showed on Tuesday.
A target was set at the COP28 U.N. climate conference in 2023 to triple the amount of renewables such as wind and solar to keep a 1.5 degree Celsius (2.7 Fahrenheit) warming limit this century within reach.
Analysts tracking progress have said the world is not on course to triple capacity. The 1.5 Celsius limit also appears out of reach, they said.
BY THE NUMBERS
Trajectories show a shortfall of 6.2 terawatts 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.
CONTEXT
Last year and in early 2025, many countries rolled back or delayed climate change measures as the U.S. withdrew from the Paris Agremeent 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 U.S. President Donald Trump's tariff action this year, also limited renewable development in 2024 as the West protected its industries against cheap Chinese competition.
KEY QUOTE
"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.
President Ilham Aliyev today inaugurated Azerbaijan's largest power plant in Mingachevir, constructed in partnership with Italian and Chinese companies.
The World Bank has approved $101 million in financing for the First Sustainable and Inclusive Growth Development Policy Operation in the Kyrgyz Republic. It will provide a budgetary support to the government in implementing a broad set of reforms.
The UK government announced plans to cut green levies on thousands of businesses, aiming to reduce soaring energy costs and boost the manufacturing sector, particularly in Labour strongholds.
In 19 EU countries, the share of renewable energy sources in net electricity generation decreased in the first quarter of 2025 compared with the first quarter of 2024. The largest drops were recorded in Greece (-12.4%), Lithuania (-12.0%) and Slovakia (-10.6%).
Egypt’s first integrated solar and battery storage plant will deliver dispatchable clean energy, enhance grid stability and manage peak demand. The project is expected to generate approximately 3,000 GWh of clean energy and avoid up to 1.4 million metric tonnes of emissions per year.
Britain’s competition regulator may force Google to rank businesses more fairly in search results and provide consumers with alternative services, using new powers to regulate tech giants.
U.S. President Donald Trump on Tuesday said he will probably meet Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy during this week’s NATO summit, offering Kyiv an opportunity to push for U.S. Patriot missiles and stronger sanctions on Russia.
Kazakhstan is in discussions with Russia to relocate the production of the Soyuz-5 (Irtysh) launch vehicle from Russia to the Baikonur Cosmodrome, according to Prime Minister Olzhas Bektenov.
Turkish President Tayyip Erdoğan on Tuesday called for an unconditional end to defence trade restrictions among NATO allies and expressed Türkiye’s interest in hosting the alliance’s 2026 summit.
Prime Minister Irakli Kobakhidze has announced reshuffles in Georgia’s economic leadership, unveiling new appointments.
Iran launched 18 ballistic missiles late Sunday targeting the U.S. military’s Al-Udeid Air Base in Qatar, the largest American installation in the Middle East.
Iranian missiles struck multiple locations across Israel and neighbouring regions early Friday morning, including a Microsoft office complex, according to emergency responders and local media reports.
A high-speed tram derailment in central Gothenburg, Sweden, has left at least eight people injured late on Thursday (19 June), after the vehicle slammed into a snack bar on Avenyn Avenue.
China has unveiled a mosquito-sized bionic drone designed for covert military operations and battlefield reconnaissance, marking a major advance in micro-robotics and stealth technology as part of the country’s growing focus on next-generation warfare capabilities.
Wizz Air has suspended all flights to and from Tel Aviv, Israel, and its European services to Amman, Jordan, effective immediately until 15 September due to escalating situation in the Middle East. Also, the air carrier temporarily suspended its flights between Astana, Kazakhstan, and Abu Dhabi.
Over 110 million people across Europe — or more than 20% of the population — are exposed to dangerous levels of transport noise that threaten human health, the environment, and economic stability, according to a new European Environment Agency (EEA) report released today.
In an exclusive interview with The Azerbaijan State News Agency (AZERTAC), COP30 President André Corrêa do Lago spoke about Brazil’s preparations for hosting the upcoming UN Climate Conference in Belém this November.
A 32°C heatwave expected to grip England has been made a 100 times more likely by human-caused climate change, according to a rapid scientific analysis released Thursday.
In 19 EU countries, the share of renewable energy sources in net electricity generation decreased in the first quarter of 2025 compared with the first quarter of 2024. The largest drops were recorded in Greece (-12.4%), Lithuania (-12.0%) and Slovakia (-10.6%).
The first side event of the Global South NGO Platform, initiated by Azerbaijan, was held in Bonn, Germany this week.
Britain’s competition regulator may force Google to rank businesses more fairly in search results and provide consumers with alternative services, using new powers to regulate tech giants.
U.S. President Donald Trump on Tuesday said he will probably meet Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy during this week’s NATO summit, offering Kyiv an opportunity to push for U.S. Patriot missiles and stronger sanctions on Russia.
Kazakhstan is in discussions with Russia to relocate the production of the Soyuz-5 (Irtysh) launch vehicle from Russia to the Baikonur Cosmodrome, according to Prime Minister Olzhas Bektenov.
Turkish President Tayyip Erdoğan on Tuesday called for an unconditional end to defence trade restrictions among NATO allies and expressed Türkiye’s interest in hosting the alliance’s 2026 summit.
Prime Minister Irakli Kobakhidze has announced reshuffles in Georgia’s economic leadership, unveiling new appointments.
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