Even as U.S. climate watchdogs worry about how a second Donald Trump administration will impact environmental policy, renewable energy development is a force that goes far beyond politics. Renewable technologies like wind and solar power are already cheaper than oil and gas in most scenarios, and the use of renewable energy is set to surpass coal globally by early next year, according to estimates from the International Energy Agency (IEA). 

“Renewables are moving faster than national governments can set targets for,” IEA Executive Director Fatih Birol told S&P Global this fall. “This is mainly driven not just by efforts to lower emissions or boost energy security — it’s increasingly because renewables today offer the cheapest option to add new power plants in almost all countries around the world.”

Existing investments are expected to more than double renewable energy capacity to around 7,300 gigawatts globally by 2028, according to the IEA. Here’s a look at just some of the innovative renewable energy projects set to launch around the world next year. 

New offshore wind is coming to the North Sea

If you’ve ever seen those viral social media videos of ships traversing the North Sea as “Hoist the Colours” plays in the background, you’ll know the region is home to choppy waters and rough winds. European countries are looking to make use of the famously rugged conditions to produce clean energy. Launched in 2020, the North Seas Energy Cooperation is an agreement between Belgium, Denmark, France, Germany, Ireland, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Norway, Sweden and the U.K. to build offshore wind capacity across the North Sea to nearly 100 gigawatts by 2030. 

Several projects developed under the partnership are set to come online in 2025, including one of Germany’s largest offshore wind farms deployed to date, the 960-megawatt He Dreiht project. It uses a new generation of Vestas wind turbines that can generate 15 megawatts of power each, compared to an average of about 2 to 3 megawatts. The U.K. will also switch on the first of three phases in its massive Dogger Bank Wind Farm off the coast of Yorkshire in the second half of next year. Billed as the world’s largest offshore wind farm, the project will be able to power about 6 million U.K. homes once completed in 2027.

Mississippi set to switch on 550 megawatts of solar plus energy storage

The renewable energy company Origis Energy and the government-owned utility Tennessee Valley Authority plan to complete a three-project deployment of solar plus energy storage in Mississippi next year. The first project, a 150-megawatt solar array and 50-megawatt battery storage setup near the border with Alabama, powered on in May and is already delivering clean energy to nearly 40,000 homes in the Magnolia State.

When the final two projects are installed next year, they’ll add another 400 megawatts of solar and 100 megawatts of storage to the state’s electric grid. Along with powering homes, the projects will meet the needs of some of the state’s largest industrial power users, including the social media giant Meta, which contracted with Tennessee Valley Authority for more than 1,000 megawatts of renewable energy to be deployed across the region. 

Botswana aims for energy surplus with new solar projects

The southern African nation of Botswana is quietly laying the groundwork for one of the most dramatic solar power transformations the world has ever seen. A decade ago, nearly half of the country’s residents didn’t have access to electricity. Today, Botswana is targeting an energy surplus with a host of planned solar power projects developed in collaboration with renewable energy companies from China, by far the world’s leader in installed solar capacity. 

The largest of these projects, a 100-megawatt solar plant in the southern Botswanan town of Jwaneng, is set to start delivering power this year. “Our journey toward energy security and transition has begun in earnest and is unstoppable,” Mokgweetsi Masisi said in a statement in August while serving as president of Botswana. “This project marks another significant milestone in our national development commitments.” 

The country’s efforts have already electrified 460 out of its 565 rural villages, Masisi said. Though it had only about 6 megawatts of renewable energy capacity at the end of last year, it’s targeting at least 200 megawatts by 2030, PV Magazine reports. 

Solar carport canopy soon to switch on at New York City’s JFK Airport

The New Terminal One under construction at John F. Kennedy International Airport in New York City features a host of modern amenities including a carport canopy topped with solar panels and an onsite battery storage array. While keeping cars safe from the elements, the solar canopy will ultimately deliver 12 megawatts of solar energy and 7.5 megawatts of battery storage capacity.

The first phase, which will power the AirTrain and other operations at the airport, is set to come online next year. The second phase is a community solar project that will make affordable clean energy available to low-income neighborhoods in Queens starting in 2026. 

“JFK will be the largest solar and storage carport project in New York state, serving as a high-visibility example of integrating renewable energy sources into facility operations and significantly reducing carbon emissions,” said Justin E. Driscoll, president and CEO of the New York Power Authority. “Residents in nearby underserved communities will save on their electric bills and the entire state of New York will take a significant step toward a more sustainable energy future.”

Businesses in India and South Africa aim to deploy at least 200 megawatts of solar next year

The Switzerland-based renewable energy company Candi Solar works with businesses to deploy onsite solar projects that cut costs while generating clean power, with a focus on Africa and Asia. The company aims to bring an additional 200 megawatts of solar power capacity online with its corporate clients in India and South Africa by the middle of next year, and about 150 megawatts are already contracted, The Times of India reports. Many of the projects, about two-thirds of which will be spread across India, also include battery storage.

This represents a huge leap for the company, which has around 110 megawatts of contracted capacity today. Fresh off a $38 million funding round, company leaders are confident they can pull it off. “Our innovative solar and battery solutions and pioneering financial products accelerate our purpose of powering a more sustainable planet, one rooftop at a time,” co-founder Fabio Eucalipto said in a statement this summer. 

Along with onsite business deployments powered by partners like Candi, India in particular is in the midst of a major utility-scale solar boom. Leading utility Tata Power has contracted hundreds of megawatts worth of floating solar projects, and it flipped on a 431-megawatt solar park in the state of Madhya Pradesh earlier this month. Leading solar panel manufacturers Waaree Energies and Vikram Solar say they have more than 1,000 megawatts worth of panels on order for next year. 

Tribal leaders in Arizona expand the first solar-over-canal project in the United States

In the works for over two years, the canal canopy project aims to protect vital water resources in the drought-stricken state while generating clean energy. Led by the Gila River Indian Community, the first phase of the project covers 2,700 feet of the Casa Blanca Canal in the community’s capital city of Sacaton, about 40 miles south of Phoenix.

After powering on in October, it’s now sending 1.3 megawatts of power to the Indigenous community while providing a vital testing ground for solar canal coverings and their ability to reduce water evaporation in dry climates. The project is set to expand to a larger portion of the canal this year. 

“The Gila River Indian Community is proud to be at the forefront of this groundbreaking solar-over-canal project, which not only generates renewable energy but also conserves our most precious resource — water,” Gila River Indian Community Gov. Stephen Roe Lewis said in a statement this fall. “This project builds on the work of our ancestors, who found innovative ways to harness our water and natural resources throughout the generations.” 

Southeast Asia and the Pacific set to bring 23 gigawatts of new renewable energy capacity online

Southeast Asia has enormous solar power potential, and it’s set to deploy a host of new projects in 2025, including a 250-megawatt floating solar array in the Philippines. Global renewable energy player Acen says it’s on track to deliver over 1.2 gigawatts of new renewable energy capacity next year, much of it in the APAC region — including a 520-megawatt solar park in New South Wales, Australia, and the 146-megawatt Monsoon Wind project in Laos. Together, countries in the APAC region are expected to deploy 23 gigawatts of new clean power capacity next year.

The U.S. gears up for green hydrogen

While much of global clean energy investment goes toward wind and solar, green hydrogen is a big part of the energy transition plan in the United States. Hydrogen can be used for energy and vehicle fuel, and it’s also a key component in many industrial and consumer products. Most hydrogen on the market is sourced from natural gas, but green hydrogen is made by splitting hydrogen from water molecules using a device called an electrolyzer that is powered by renewable energy — reducing emissions down to zero. 

Launched in 2021, the U.S. Department of Energy’s Energy Earthshots initiative aims to drive down the cost of green hydrogen by 80 percent to $1 per kilogram within a decade. With new federal funding for green hydrogen made available under the 2022 Inflation Reduction Act, developers across the U.S. are charging forward with projects that push the technology into the mainstream and drive costs down.

More than 65 green hydrogen projects are set to go online over the next five years, including some major developments in 2025. Among them is the conversion of a massive coal-fired power plant in Utah to run on a combined stream of natural gas and green hydrogen. The plant will add a renewable energy-powered electrolyzer to manufacture green hydrogen and store it in underground salt caverns for use as fuel at the Intermountain Power Project. The plant will start using 30 percent green hydrogen next year, with the aim of transitioning to 100 percent green hydrogen by 2045.