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Renewables
Energy autonomy within everyone's reach, anywhere
"Only renewables are truly sustainable; that’s why the future belongs to them"
Available in all countries, renewable (REN) energy sources (RES) are at the center of the energy transition. RES growth is being boosted as countries seek to strengthen energy security: yes, energy security, not climate change, is driving clean energy investments [1].
Energy markets & policies have changed as a result of the Russo-Ukrainian (and now the Palestinian-Israeli) conflict, not just for the time being, but for decades to come, encouraging countries to increasingly turn to RES to reduce reliance on imported fossil fuels [2].
Dispatchable or not
Dammed hydro power and biomass (biofuels) are examples of dispatchable (controllable) RES. In turn, variable renewable energy (VRE) sources, such as solar & wind, varies according to the weather conditions and may require a form of energy storage (ES).
Cheapest for electricity
Utility-scale solar PV & onshore wind are the cheapest options for new electricity gen in a significant majority of countries worldwide. RES will become the largest source of global electricity gen by early 2025, surpassing coal [3].
Transmission infrastructure
Increased RES penetration & electrification are driving changes to modernize power grids. Transmission is the biggest bottleneck in the power sector today, forcing grid operators to curtail renewables from one location and dispatch higher cost power from elsewhere [WM, 2023].
Grid codes
Grid codes play a critical role in the integration of REN and inverter-based resources. Beyond defining minimum technical and operational requirements for grid connection, such as voltage & frequency stability, fault ride-through capability, and reactive power support, modern grid codes increasingly require REN to provide active system services, including fast frequency response, synthetic inertia, and advanced voltage control, ensuring system reliability in high-penetration scenarios [4]. By complying with these rules, power plants ensure system stability when connected to the grid.
Energy storage
Energy storage (ES) have an important role in getting RES more predictable. ES solves the intermittent problem by storing extra energy produced by wind or solar gen units for later use. For additional information, please read Article #4 (“Energy storage: a perfect partner for solar PV”). ES, grid-forming inverter (GFM), and digital control can strengthen operating grids, contributing to a large RES hosting.
Main projections: (more accurate results can be found here)
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RES capacity increased over 15.1% in 2024 compared with last year, to 585 GW.
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PV remained the main driver of expansion, contributing approximately 450 GW in new capacity in 2024, around 3/4 of total REN additions, and lifting global installed PV capacity to 1,865 TW.
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Wind added 113 GW in 2024, lifting global capacity to 1,133 TW.
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Utility-scale projects continued to dominate solar PV deployment, supported by strong policy frameworks, competitive auctions, and large-scale investment, particularly in China and the EU.
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Under IRENA’s 1.5 °C-aligned energy transition scenario, more than 90% of global electricity generation is expected to come from fossil-free sources by 2050.
References
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