According to forecasts, nearly half of the world’s electricity will come from renewable energy by 2030, but this achievement will still fall short of global targets.
The International Energy Agency (IEA) projects that the world will add around 5,500 gigawatts (GW) of renewable capacity by the end of the decade—equivalent to the combined power capacity of China, the European Union, India, and the US.
Despite this significant increase in solar panels, wind turbines, and other green energy sources, the expansion will still need to meet the goal set by the UN last December, which called for a tripling of global renewable capacity by 2030.
IEA executive director Fatih Birol noted that the growth in renewables is driven by efforts to reduce emissions and because they are now “the cheapest option for adding new power plants in almost all countries.”
However, he emphasised that if countries are to meet the target of tripling renewable capacity, governments must accelerate efforts to connect green energy sources to their grids.
This will require building or upgrading 25 million kilometers of pylons, cables, and other grid infrastructure in the coming years.
