World Sees Slower Growth in Clean Energy Capacity in 2026
IRENA warns of a decline in clean energy capacity growth in 2026 for the first time in five years.
Translated by Qiyas from الراي — Original source
The Director-General of the International Renewable Energy Agency, Francesco La Camera, stated that global clean energy capacity additions will see a smaller increase in 2026 for the first time in five years, due to inadequate transmission networks and trade barriers.
Solar and wind energy growth has accelerated year after year since 2021, when the coronavirus pandemic disrupted global supply chains. Clean energy capacity, including hydropower, rose at a record rate of 692 gigawatts, or 15.5 percent, reaching 5,149 gigawatts in 2025, accounting for half of global power generation capacity.
Governments have pledged to boost the use of clean energy to ensure reliable power supplies and lower costs, particularly after the US-Israeli war on Iran choked energy supplies and drove up prices.
However, La Camera pointed to a slowdown in renewable energy deployment in China, where clean electricity generation is being curtailed or rejected when the grid reaches its capacity limits.
Speaking to Reuters on the sidelines of the Singapore International Energy Week conference, La Camera said, “The main reason we are not seeing a new record for additions this year is the mismatch between generation capacity and the ability to distribute and transmit electricity.”
China, the world’s largest producer of renewable energy, rejected in the first half of 2026 enough clean energy to power Mexico for a year, while power grids in countries such as Australia and Japan also failed to keep pace with the rapid expansion of renewable energy projects.
La Camera said, “I don’t believe that the increase (in generation capacity) in other parts of the world this year will offset the slowdown in China.” He declined to provide numerical forecasts for expected growth in clean energy additions this year.
Adding renewable energy capacity is crucial for reducing global emissions. The United Nations stated in a report released last week that emissions must be cut “urgently and severely” to slow the pace of global warming.
