All Things Renewable

The global energy transition is entering a new, decisive phase. Renewable deployment is at record levels and renewables are the cheapest source of new power, yet progress remains too slow and uneven. Scaling generation is only part of the challenge: grids lag, demand surges, and efficiency gains fall short of what is required. IRENA’s flagship World Energy Transition Outlook 2026, published ahead of COP31, addresses this. Its lead authors, Ricardo Gorini, Head of Energy and Socio-Economic Outlooks, and Gondia Sokhna Seck, Team Lead for Energy Transition and Socio-economic Impacts, set out why success goes beyond technology choices, and how integrated, system-wide approach can deliver the energy systems of tomorrow.

Despite a record 693 gigawatts of power capacity added globally in 2025, the pace of growth is insufficient. Meeting the tripling renewables target requires building more renewable capacity between 2026 and 2030 than in all previous years combined. What will it take to close the gap? Increasingly, the answer is not in the competitiveness of the technology itself but rather in the energy system built around it. Aleksi Lumijarvi, Director of the Knowledge, Policy and Finance Centre (KPFC), explores what it takes to build tomorrow's electricity markets, from modern, flexible grids to the regulatory reforms needed to power a renewable-based future.

Sub-Saharan Africa holds some of the world's largest renewable energy potential, yet around 560 million people in the region still live without access to electricity. In this episode, Kamlesh Dookayka and Mamadou Goundiam, IRENA experts on Sub-Saharan Africa, explore how the region can move beyond untapped potential to deploy its vast resource base at scale. They examine the structural barriers holding projects back, the role of long-term planning at the national and continental level, and what countries and communities stand to gain when renewables deliver reliable energy, economic development and lasting local value.

Each country charts its own energy transition pathway. Across Southeast Asia, countries are balancing rising energy demand, import dependence and climate commitments, and renewables are emerging as a reliable solution. Karanpreet Kaur, Country Engagement Officer for Asia, explains how local circumstances shape each nation's approach. She explores how governments turn strengths into opportunities, why cross-border cooperation matters, and how the Accelerated Partnership for Renewable Energy in Southeast Asia (APRESA) helps to translate ambition into action to empower communities while building low-carbon economies. Follow IRENA under #TransitionPathways to see how local action powers regional progress.

No two countries follow the same energy transition pathway, yet renewable energy is emerging as a common solution across them all. In this episode, Binu Parthan, Deputy Director, Country Engagement and Partnerships (CEP), explains why local circumstances such as geography, resources and economic development shape each nation's approach to the energy transition. He explores how countries turn local strengths into renewable opportunities, why renewables prove relevant across diverse priorities, and how knowledge sharing accelerates progress worldwide. Follow IRENA this summer under #TransitionPathways to see how local action powers global change.