More than 90% of the new energy capacity built worldwide last year was clean, per data from the International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA). That’s a new high watermark for solar, wind, and other renewable energy resources.

Due to plummeting costs and global decarbonization policies, clean energy has accounted for most of the world’s new energy resources for several years now. Since 2012, renewables have consistently made up more than half of new energy generation added to global grids.

But the trend has accelerated significantly, the result of a simultaneous slowdown in fossil-fuel power plant construction and a rapid buildout of carbon-free installations. Last year, over 585 gigawatts of new clean energy were built, per IRENA, more than three-quarters of which were solar. Meanwhile, just 47 GW of non-renewable power generation were added.

Overall, renewable resources produced around 32% of global electricity in 2024. If you add in nuclear, carbon-free sources accounted for 40% — a record-high figure.

Nevertheless, emissions from the global power sector have not declined. In fact, they rose by 1.7% last year compared with 2023, per International Energy Agency data shared with Canary Media. There are a few reasons for this.

For one, although renewables dominate new construction, the world still has a massive fleet of fossil-fired power plants, and those continue to tear through huge volumes of coal, gas, and oil to keep the lights on. Also, the amount of fossil fuels the world burns, and the amount of fossil-fueled power plants it builds, are both still climbing, albeit at a slower rate.

The problem is particularly acute in China and India, very large countries in which coal generates a disproportionately high percentage of electricity compared to the rest of the world. The U.S., which has cumulatively emitted more CO₂ than any country and is currently the second-biggest source of greenhouse gases in the world, has seen power sector emissions fall over the last 15 years thanks to cheap fracked gas and even cheaper renewables.

Rising power demand is also a thorn in the side of decarbonization efforts. As hotter summers drive up the use of air-conditioning and large industrial power customers like data centers expand, new clean electrons are often simply meeting new demand rather than enabling old polluting power plants to shutter.

Still, there’s no arguing with the fact that the global power system is moving toward clean energy and away from fossil fuels. The problem is that this shift is happening too slowly. And when it comes to averting the worst of the climate crisis, pace matters just as much as direction.