Renewables now make up 30% of global electricity generation
Renewable energy, sourced from replenishable natural resources like sunlight, wind, and geothermal heat, is pivotal in electricity generation, heating, cooling, and transportation. It offers off-grid solutions for remote areas, produces minimal greenhouse gases, and enhances energy security due to its wide geographical distribution. As global efforts to mitigate climate change intensify, the shift to low-carbon energy, led by renewables, is accelerating. Technologies such as solar PV and wind are becoming cost-competitive with fossil fuels. Increasing the renewable share in energy systems involves electrifying heating and transport sectors, using biofuels, and deploying solar water heating, biomass burners, and geothermal heating. Achieving climate goals requires rapid renewable energy deployment across all sectors, supported by favourable policies and market conditions.
You can find further information below about the technologies, costs and current developments within each of the seven major types of renewables:
Learn more about renewables by reading our Energy Insights.
For the latest news and articles on renewable energy read New Energy World.
View our dedicated Collections on Hydrogen.
0.0 GW
of solar energy capacity was added in 2023 worldwide (Statistical Review of World Energy)
0million
jobs in the renewable energy sector in 2023 (IRENA)
0%
share of total primary energy consumption worldwide was from renewables in 2023 (Statistical Review of World Energy)
0million
households in the UK (or equivalent) were powered by wind energy in 2023 (RenewableUK)
What's new?
Cost of renewables is forecast to continue falling globally, as China extends its manufacturing lead
19/2/2025
BNEF’s latest LCOE report suggests that ‘new wind and solar farms are already undercutting new coal and gas plants on production cost in almost every ...
UK government to halve subsidies paid to Drax power station from 2027
19/2/2025
Large-scale biomass currently provides around 5% of the UK’s annual electricity generation, with Drax’s 2.6 GW plant operating as a baseload plant run...
Focus on offshore energy storage and conversion infrastructure as Danish energy island project secures €645mn of public EU funding
19/2/2025
Denmark’s Bornholm Energy Island scheme was awarded just over half (52%) of the European Commission’s (EC) latest Connecting Europe Facility (CEF) fun...
India budget aims to scale up civil nuclear power and develop local renewables supply chains
12/2/2025
India’s Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman has announced plans to expand India’s nuclear capacity to 100 GW by 2047, building on the announcement she...
Global investment in the energy transition in 2024 exceeded $2tn for the first time, but the pace of growth has slowed
12/2/2025
Electrified transport remained the largest investment driver, reaching $757bn in 2024, finds the analysis. This figure includes spending on passenger ...
Events and training
Level 1: Certificate in Energy Management Essentials - April 2025
31/3/2025 - 4/4/2025
About:This introductory 5 day classroom course provides a comprehensive, practical overview of the fundamentals of energy management, equipping p...
All-Energy 2025
14/5/2025 - 15/5/2025
All-Energy, the UK’s largest low-carbon energy and renewables event, returns May 14-15, 2025, at the SEC, Glasgow.We'll be exhibi...
Level 3: Advanced Energy Manager
29/9/2025 - 3/12/2025
This 9-day course is an advanced qualification aiming to support experienced energy managers to further advance their careers by gaining the skills an...
Level 1: Certificate in Energy Management Essentials - October 2025
6/10/2025 - 10/10/2025
About:This introductory 5 day classroom course provides a comprehensive, practical overview of the fundamentals of energy management, equipping p...
Technical guidance publications
EI 3462
Wind Turbine Safety Rules Procedure 5: Temporary application of an alternative safe systems of work
February 2025
The Wind Turbine Safety Rules (WTSRs) are a model set of Safety Rules and procedures to help formalise a Safe System of Work (SSoW) to manage the sign...
EI 3581
Guidance on co-location of battery energy storage system (BESS) with power generation plant
February 2025
This publication is free of charge. Register/log in to download. Power generation systems are decarbonising and so the need for electrical energy sto...
EI 3578
Steel fabrication in the offshore wind industry - A good practice guidance for developers
December 2024
This document presents a set of formal, practical, and relevant good practice guidelines aimed at project developers, to address the major challenges ...
EI 3576
G+ Good practice guidelines for unmanned aircraft systems in the offshore wind industry
November 2024
G+, the Global Offshore Wind Health and Safety Organisation, has developed this GPG to share, advance and encourage good health and safety practice wh...
EI 3429
Good practice guideline - Offshore wind farm transfer
October 2024
This guidance provides a framework of how to execute a safe transfer in an offshore wind farm in order to provide consistency and good practice regard...