Renewable Energy: What’s New and What’s Coming

Renewable Energy: What’s New and What’s Coming

1. Renewables Surpass Coal, Globally

One of the biggest milestones: in the first half of 2025, generation from solar + wind globally outpaced coal for the first time. 
This indicates that renewables are not just supplementary but becoming central to electricity supply. Still, the growth does not happen evenly — policy, investment, and local infrastructure make big differences. 

2. Solar Takes the Lead, Innovation All Around

• Solar installations are growing rapidly. Much of the capacity added globally is solar.

• Innovations in solar tech like perovskite solar cells are pushing up efficiency and lowering costs. 

• Solar PV is being more creatively deployed: floatovoltaics (solar panels on water bodies), agrivoltaics (co-locating panels with agriculture), building-integrated PV, etc. 

3. Offshore & Floating Wind

Offshore wind continues to grow. Floating turbines, which allow wind farms to be placed in deeper waters, are unlocking new potential. This is especially important for countries with long coastlines or deep coastal waters, where fixed-foundations are less feasible.

4. Energy Storage & Grid Flexibility

One of the biggest challenges with solar and wind is intermittency — you need storage and smarter grids.

• Battery Energy Storage Systems (BESS) are scaling up. 

• There is increasing development in advanced storage technologies: solid-state batteries, flow batteries, thermal storage, mechanical storage. 

• Hybrid systems (solar + storage, wind + storage) are becoming more common. Smart grids, demand response, and more flexible grid management are part of making renewable energy more reliable.

5. Green Hydrogen & Decarbonizing Hard Sectors

Green hydrogen (hydrogen produced using renewable electricity) is increasingly seen as essential if we are to decarbonize sectors that are hard to electrify — heavy industry, shipping, aviation, etc. 
Many projects and policies are beginning to support this. Investments are growing in electrolyzers, hydrogen pipelines, and infrastructure. 

6. Policy, Standards & Regulation Drive the Pace

• Governments are setting more aggressive targets, renewable energy mandates, and renewable portfolio standards (RPS).

• Investment climates are sensitive: changes in subsidies, tariffs, and regulations can significantly impact how fast renewables grow (both positively and negatively.

• Some countries are integrating renewables more into heavy industry standards, data centers, etc., pushing for clean energy use beyond just electricity generation.

7. Digitalization & Smart Technologies

• AI, machine learning, sensors, IoT are being deployed more and more in the renewable space — from optimizing performance, predicting weather, handling grid balancing, predictive maintenance, etc. 

• Digital platforms for energy trading (peer-to-peer), microgrids, and better energy management at the consumer / community level are growing. 

8. New Forms and Hybrid Projects

• Floating solar (floatovoltaics) continues to expand — using water bodies to avoid land constraints. 

• Hybrid parks combining wind + solar + storage (or more) are becoming more common.

•  Also, new materials (lightweight, flexible solar cells, thin-film, etc.) are opening up applications that were not possible before.

9. Investment & Market Trends

• Global investments in renewable technologies and energy transition are reaching record levels.

• But despite high investment, there are warning signs: forecasts in some regions have been revised down, due to policy changes or market issues. 

• Emerging markets (Asia, Middle East, Africa) are becoming increasingly important players because of their fast-growing demand, favorable natural resources, and large populations. 

Challenges & Things to Watch

While the trends are promising, here are some of the major hurdles:

• Policy instability: changes in incentives or regulations can slow down or even reverse progress. 

• Grid infrastructure: many places still need upgraded transmission, distribution, storage, and smart grid capabilities to handle high shares of variable renewables.

• Materials/resources: some of the newer technologies (perovskite, green hydrogen, etc.) require rare materials, and supply chains can be fragile.

• Financing costs: interest rates, inflation, supply-chain disruptions raise costs and risks for project developers.

• Environmental/social considerations: land usage, impact on ecosystems, concerns from communities, etc. Need for sustainable planning.

What This Means & Where Things Are Headed

• Renewables are becoming base power sources rather than just “clean alternatives”. As their share of generation increases, they’ll shape a lot of energy decisions.

• Hybrid and integrated systems are likely to dominate (solar + storage, wind + storage, etc.).

• Green hydrogen could become a key tool in meeting net-zero goals for industries that are hard to electrify.

• Digital, AI, and data will increasingly be part of energy projects. Those who use them well will likely gain efficiency advantages.

• Localized energy — microgrids, community-owned systems, decentralized energy supply — may become increasingly common, especially in regions with weak or unreliable central grids.

• More ambitious policy goals and standards will be important. Countries that commit strongly (with stable policy and financing) will benefit both economically and environmentally.