Record-breaking renewables growth drives global capacity expansion

Global renewable energy capacity is experiencing record-breaking growth, with unprecedented expansion across solar, wind and energy storage reshaping power systems worldwide. Recent international energy assessments report that renewables now account for the overwhelming majority of newly installed electricity generation capacity, marking a decisive shift away from fossil-fuel-dominated expansion towards clean power systems (IRENA, 2024).
According to the International Renewable Energy Agency, annual renewable capacity additions reached historic highs in the most recent reporting cycle, with total new installations exceeding half a terawatt in a single year for the first time. Solar photovoltaics led this surge, representing the largest share of new capacity, followed by onshore and offshore wind (IRENA, 2024). This acceleration reflects rapid cost declines, manufacturing scale and supportive policy frameworks across major economies. The level of annual growth recorded is more than double the average yearly additions seen just five years earlier (IEA, 2025).
The International Energy Agency reports that renewables now consistently deliver more than ninety per cent of net new global power capacity additions, fundamentally changing how electricity systems grow (IEA, 2025). In several large markets, solar and wind generation have reached record shares of national electricity supply during peak periods. Analysts note that clean generation growth has, in some regions, outpaced demand growth, enabling renewables to displace higher-emission sources in the generation mix (Ember, 2025).
A parallel driver of this expansion is the rapid scale-up of battery energy storage systems. Grid-scale batteries are increasingly deployed alongside solar and wind projects to manage variability and provide frequency and voltage support. Energy storage installations have also set new records, with annual deployments rising sharply year over year (IEA, 2025). This pairing of renewables with storage is widely viewed as essential to sustaining high penetration levels while maintaining grid reliability.
Growth is not limited to traditional renewable leaders in Europe and East Asia. The Gulf Cooperation Council region is also expanding clean energy capacity as part of economic diversification and energy transition strategies. Large competitive solar tenders and utility-scale renewable parks are now common across Gulf markets, supported by long-term national targets and procurement programs (IRENA, 2024).
Oman has emerged as an active contributor within this regional shift. The Sultanate of Oman has commissioned major solar and wind projects in recent years and continues to advance additional capacity through independent power producer frameworks and national energy planning. Renewable generation’s share in Oman’s electricity mix has risen steadily, with multiple gigawatt-scale projects either operational, under construction, or in procurement stages (Oman Ministry of Energy and Minerals, 2025). National strategies target a substantially higher renewable share by 2030, positioning clean energy as a core pillar of future supply.
Despite the record momentum, global agencies caution that current growth rates must accelerate further to meet international climate goals, including the objective of tripling renewable capacity by 2030 (IRENA, 2024; IEA, 2025). Continued policy support, grid investment and storage deployment will be necessary to maintain trajectory. Even so, the latest data confirms that renewable energy is now the primary engine of global power capacity expansion, with emerging markets, including those in the GCC and Oman, playing an increasingly visible role in that transformation.