Key Details
IRENA’s latest global statistics show renewable energy continuing to dominate new electricity capacity additions worldwide, while India’s rapid expansion in renewable generation, manufacturing and decentralised energy systems has made it the world’s third-largest renewable energy market.
Indicator | Key Finding | Why It Matters |
|---|---|---|
Global renewable capacity | Reached 5,149.28 GW in 2025, accounting for 49.5% of global installed electricity capacity and 85.7% of all new capacity additions | Shows renewable energy has become the principal source of global power sector expansion |
Global renewable electricity generation | Renewables generated 9,836 TWh in 2024, supplying 31.7% of global electricity | Demonstrates renewables are becoming a larger contributor to electricity systems, not just installed capacity |
India’s renewable capacity | Installed renewable capacity reached 250.52 GW, making India the world’s third-largest renewable energy market | Reflects India’s emergence as a major global clean energy producer |
Solar and wind | Solar PV remained the fastest-growing renewable technology globally; India’s solar capacity reached 150.26 GW while wind capacity rose to 56.09 GW | Reinforces solar and wind as the principal drivers of India’s energy transition |
Domestic manufacturing | India expanded annual solar module manufacturing capacity to 172 GW and wind turbine manufacturing to 24 GW | Strengthens energy security while supporting industrial competitiveness and supply-chain resilience |
Renewable Energy Is Becoming the Dominant Driver of Global Power Growth
IRENA’s Renewable Energy Statistics 2026 shows that the global energy transition continued to accelerate during 2025. Renewable energy capacity reached 5,149 GW, accounting for 49.5% of installed global electricity capacity, while renewables contributed 85.7% of all new electricity capacity added during the year.
Renewable electricity generation also continued to expand, rising to 9,836 TWh in 2024 and supplying 31.7% of global electricity. Solar PV remained the principal growth engine worldwide, followed by continued expansion in wind power, highlighting the increasing dominance of renewable technologies in global electricity systems.
India Becomes the World’s Third-Largest Renewable Energy Market
The report identifies India as one of the fastest-growing renewable energy economies. Installed renewable capacityreached 250.52 GW by the end of 2025, allowing India to overtake Brazil as the world’s third-largest renewable energy market.
The report complements India’s recent progress towards its domestic energy transition goals. The country achieved 50% installed electricity capacity from non-fossil fuel sources ahead of its Paris Agreement commitment, while total non-fossil installed capacity, including nuclear power, continued to expand towards the national target of 500 GW by 2030.
India’s renewable growth was led by solar power, supported by continued expansion in wind power and utility-scale renewable deployment.
Manufacturing, Storage and Distributed Energy Are Driving the Next Phase
Beyond generation capacity, the report highlights the growing importance of manufacturing capability, storage infrastructure and distributed energy systems in sustaining renewable energy expansion.
India significantly expanded domestic manufacturing capacity for both solar modules and wind turbines, strengthening supply-chain resilience and reducing dependence on imported equipment. At the same time, programmes such as PM Surya Ghar: Muft Bijli Yojana accelerated rooftop solar adoption, while PM-KUSUMcontinued expanding solar-powered irrigation.
The report also underscores the importance of energy storage. India’s growing pumped hydro capacity provides greater grid flexibility, enabling larger shares of variable renewable energy (VRE) to be integrated into the electricity system without compromising grid reliability.
Policy Relevance
Renewable energy has become the dominant source of new global electricity capacity, reinforcing its central role in future energy systems.
India’s emergence as the world’s third-largest renewable energy market demonstrates how sustained policy support, manufacturing expansion and large-scale deployment can accelerate the clean energy transition.
Continued investment in energy storage, transmission infrastructure and grid flexibility will be essential to accommodate rising shares of renewable electricity.
Expanding domestic manufacturing of solar modules and wind turbines can strengthen energy security while enhancing India’s position in global clean energy supply chains.
Distributed energy programmes such as PM Surya Ghar and PM-KUSUM illustrate how rooftop solar and decentralised renewable energy systems can complement utility-scale deployment while improving energy access and agricultural sustainability.
Follow the Full Report Here: Renewables accounted for 31.7% of the electricity generation globally in 2024