Daily News
Renewable Energy Output Projected to Rise 84% Within 5 Years
Power generation from renewables is projected to surge 84% by 2030 and double again by 2050, according to BloombergNEF’s updated Economic Transition Scenario (ETS) in its New Energy Outlook 2025. Under this scenario, solar, wind and other renewable sources are expected to supply 67% of global electricity demand by 2050, up from 33% in 2024.
Electricity demand is forecast to rise 75% by 2050, driven by economic growth, the expansion of electric vehicles, increased cooling needs and the rapid growth of data centres. Data centres are emerging as a major source of power consumption, with their share expected to reach 4.5% of global electricity demand by 2035 and 8.7% by 2050. Meeting this demand will require an estimated 362 GW of additional generation capacity by 2035.
The report highlights robust growth in clean power adoption and the electrification of road transport over the coming decades, alongside rising demand for natural gas. In contrast, coal and oil use are projected to steadily decline. However, technologies such as hydrogen, carbon capture and storage, clean fuels and low-carbon industrial processes face challenges in scaling up under this scenario.
Emissions in the ETS are expected to decline by 22% by 2050, returning to 2005 levels. This trajectory aligns with a global warming outcome of approximately 2.6°C by 2100, with a 67% likelihood. BloombergNEF’s alternative Net Zero Scenario (NZS), which outlines a pathway to limit warming to 1.75°C, envisions a significantly faster rollout of clean technologies. Under the NZS, global wind and solar capacity is projected to reach 16 TW by 2035, compared to 12.6 TW in the ETS.
With global demand for trained professionals in renewable energy continuously growing, the Renewable Energy Institute’s Expert Pathways are designed to equip individuals with the skills and knowledge needed to drive the clean energy transition.
Sources: