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World must double annual clean energy growth to hit 2030 tripling goal, new report warns – EnviroNews
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Despite a historic surge in clean energy that brought global renewable capacity to 5.15 terawatts (TW) at the end of 2025, the world is falling behind on key climate and efficiency targets, according to a major report released on Monday, September 21, 2026, during Climate Week NYC.
The report, “Delivering on the UAE Consensus: Tracking progress toward tripling renewable energy capacity and doubling energy efficiency by 2030”, was published jointly by the International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA), the COP31 Presidency Türkiye, and the Global Renewables Alliance (GRA).
While the world added a record 693 gigawatts (GW) of new renewable power in 2025, policymakers face a steep mountain to climb. To meet the landmark UAE Consensus goal set at COP28—tripling renewables to 11.2 TW by 2030—annual capacity additions must nearly double, jumping to an average of 1,200 GW per year between 2026 and 2030.
Furthermore, the report reveals that energy intensity improved by only about 2% in 2025, lagging far behind the 4% annual improvement required to meet the agreement’s efficiency targets.
The Road Ahead: Key Action Areas
To bridge the gap ahead of the UN Climate Conference COP31 in Antalya, Türkiye, the report urges leaders to tackle persistent bottlenecks in investment, grids, and electrification through four critical pillars:
- Upgrade Grids: Scale investments to nearly $1 trillion annually between 2026 and 2030—more than double 2025 levels.
- Deploy Efficient Electric Technologies: Rapidly expand batteries, storage, and flexibility mechanisms to manage surging power demand reliably.
- Boost 24/7 Renewables: Combine solar, wind, and storage assets to deliver firm, competitive power around the clock.
- Harness Artificial Intelligence (AI): Utilize digital tools and AI to dynamically balance clean supply with rising electricity demand.
Leaders Call for an “Electrification COP”
Highlighting the urgency of the moment, global leaders emphasized the need to pivot from ambition to aggressive execution.
“Renewable energy records are being smashed year after year as the clean energy revolution accelerates,” said United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres. “But we must go further and faster to clear the bottlenecks that delay the transition, drive investment to developing countries, and break our addiction to volatile fossil fuels once and for all.”
IRENA Director-General, Francesco La Camera, pointed out structural shortfalls: “Renewables can still close the gap towards 2030, but energy efficiency is falling behind, electricity demand is rising faster than expected, and the grid infrastructure has failed to keep pace… We need a reality check on our ambition.”
Looking toward the upcoming climate summit, COP31 President-Designate, Murat Kurum, announced that Türkiye is placing electrification at the center of its agenda. The Presidency is championing a new science-based benchmark: 35% of final energy consumption met by electricity by 2035.
Australia’s Minister for Climate Change and Energy, Chris Bowen, echoed the sentiment, noting that Australia is working closely with Türkiye to ensure COP31 is recognized as an “Electrification COP.”
Meanwhile, Ben Backwell, Chair of the Global Renewables Alliance, emphasised the economic imperative: “Governments must change gear and make renewables a national economic priority today. The prize is enormous: stronger economies, greater energy security, and better lives.”
A Shifting Energy Landscape
Despite administrative and infrastructural hurdles, technological momentum remains unprecedented.
Driven by consecutive cost-slashing breakthroughs – including a 30% drop in battery storage costs between 2024 and 2025 (and a staggering 95% reduction since 2010) – renewables have cemented their status as the most cost-competitive source of new electricity globally.
By 2030, variable renewables like solar and wind are projected to overtake total fossil fuel capacity, accounting for roughly 62% of the world’s total installed power, up from 35% in 2025. Co-located solar and storage solutions are also moving rapidly into the mainstream, accounting for about a quarter of utility-scale solar commissioned globally last year.
As nations look past 2030, the ongoing discussions around raising global electrification to 35% by 2035 aim to provide the structural roadmap needed to secure resilient, clean-powered economies for decades to come.
By Mary Adebote
