SDG 7: Affordable and Clean Energy | Global Intelligence Platform

Executive Overview

Global progress toward ensuring access to affordable, reliable, sustainable and modern energy for all

Data: IRENA 2025, IEA World Energy Investment 2025, Tracking SDG7 2025 | Updated: February 2026

Global Renewable Capacity

4,448 GW

+585 GW (+15.1%)

Record additions in 2024

Renewable Share of Capacity

46%

+3% from 2023

Up from 43% in 2023

Clean Energy Investment

$2.2T

2:1 vs fossil fuels

Of $3.3T total energy investment

Global Electricity Access

91.8%

666M without access

85% in Sub-Saharan Africa

Without Clean Cooking

2.1B

26% of population

Causing 3.2M premature deaths/year

2024 New Additions Renewable

92.5%

Record share

Of all new power capacity

COP28 Target Progress

4.4 TW

6.8 TW gap to 11.2 TW

Triple by 2030 target

Required vs Actual Growth

16.6%

Actual: 15.1%

Annual growth needed to 2030

Global Renewable Capacity Mix 2024

Annual Capacity Additions (GW)

Technology Breakdown

Technology	Capacity (GW)	Share	2024 Growth	2024 Additions
☀️ Solar PV	1,865	41.9%	+32.2%	452 GW
💧 Hydropower	1,277	28.7%	+1.3%	16 GW
🌬️ Wind	1,133	25.5%	+11.1%	113 GW
🌿 Bioenergy	148	3.3%	+4.2%	6 GW
🌋 Geothermal	15	0.3%	+2.8%	0.4 GW
🌊 Marine	0.5	0.01%	+5.0%	0.02 GW

Regional Progress Overview

Region	2024 Additions (GW)	Total Capacity (GW)	Electricity Access	Clean Cooking	Status
🌏 Asia-Pacific	421.3	2,156	98.4%	68%	On Track
🌍 Europe	70.1	742	100%	99%	On Track
🌎 North America	48.5	487	100%	99%	On Track
🌎 Latin America	35.2	342	98.1%	89%	Progress
🌍 Middle East & North Africa	5.7	78	97.2%	95%	Progress
🌍 Sub-Saharan Africa	4.2	52	52.5%	19%	Critical

Critical Challenges & Gaps

Energy Access Crisis: At current pace, 645 million people will still lack electricity by 2030. Sub-Saharan Africa accounts for 85% of the deficit.

Clean Cooking Emergency: 2.1 billion lack clean cooking, causing 3.2 million premature deaths annually. Progress rate is only 0.5% per year vs 3% needed.

Efficiency Crisis: Energy efficiency improvements at 0.8% annually vs required 3.8%. Most off-track SDG 7 indicator. Building retrofits declining.

Investment Imbalance: Emerging markets receive only 15% of clean energy investment despite having 65% of population. Africa receives just 2%.

SDG 7 Target Tracking

Detailed progress monitoring across all SDG 7 indicators

Source: UN SDG Progress Report 2025, Tracking SDG7 2025

Target 7.1.1: Universal Electricity Access Off Track

Global Access Rate 91.8%

Without Access: 666 million people

Sub-Saharan Deficit: 567 million (85%)

2030 Projection: 645 million without access

Target 7.1.2: Clean Cooking Access Severely Off Track

Global Clean Cooking Access 74%

Without Access: 2.1 billion people

Annual Deaths: 3.2 million

Progress Rate: 0.5%/year (need 3%)

Target 7.2: Renewable Energy Share Progress Needed

Renewables in Final Energy Consumption 19.1%

Target: 30% by 2030

Renewable Electricity: 30.5%

Up from 27.2% in 2020

Renewable Heat: 10.8%

Primarily traditional biomass

Target 7.3: Energy Efficiency Severely Off Track

Annual Efficiency Improvement Rate 0.8%

Target: 3.8% annual improvement through 2030

Most Off-Track Indicator: Energy efficiency progress has stalled at less than a quarter of the required rate. Current investments of $630B need to triple to $1.9T annually.

2030 Achievement Probability Assessment

Target	Current	2030 Goal	Gap	Probability
7.1.1 Electricity Access	91.8%	100%	666M people	15%
7.1.2 Clean Cooking	74%	100%	2.1B people	5%
7.2 Renewable Share	19.1%	30%	10.9pp	45%
7.3 Efficiency	0.8%/yr	3.8%/yr	3.0pp	10%
COP28 Tripling	4,448 GW	11,200 GW	6,752 GW	55%

Investment Analysis

Global clean energy investment flows, requirements, and gaps

Source: IEA World Energy Investment 2025, BloombergNEF, IRENA

2024 Global Energy Investment

$3.3 Trillion

First time exceeding $3 trillion. Clean energy ($2.2T) now outpaces fossil fuels ($1.1T) by 2:1 ratio.

Clean Energy Investment

$2.2T

+17% YoY

Solar Investment

$500B

+24% YoY

Grid Infrastructure

$400B

+12% YoY

Energy Storage

$85B

+45% YoY

Investment by Technology (2024)

Regional Investment Distribution

Region/Country	2024 Investment	Share	Per Capita	Trend
🇨🇳 China	$676B	30.7%	$478	+12%
🇪🇺 European Union	$370B	16.8%	$828	+8%
🇺🇸 United States	$338B	15.4%	$1,011	+22%
🌏 Rest of Asia	$285B	13.0%	$126	+18%
🌎 Latin America	$75B	3.4%	$115	+15%
🌍 Middle East	$42B	1.9%	$85	+28%
🌍 Africa	$44B	2.0%	$32	+5%

Critical Gap: Africa receives only 2% of global clean energy investment despite having 20% of world population and 60% of best solar resources.

Investment Gap Analysis: Current vs Required

Renewable Generation $700B / $1,400B

Need 2x increase

Grid & Storage $485B / $950B

Need 2x increase

Efficiency & Electrification $630B / $1,900B

Need 3x increase

Low-Carbon Fuels $20B / $200B

Need 10x increase

Regional Analysis

Detailed regional breakdown of energy transition progress

Source: IRENA, IEA, Regional Energy Agencies

Asia-Pacific: Global Leader

72%

Of global renewable additions in 2024 (421.3 GW)

Country Performance

Country	2024 Additions	Total Capacity	Solar	Wind
🇨🇳 China	373.6 GW	1,467 GW	277 GW	79 GW
🇮🇳 India	24.5 GW	195 GW	18.5 GW	4.8 GW
🇯🇵 Japan	8.2 GW	128 GW	6.8 GW	0.9 GW
🇦🇺 Australia	5.8 GW	48 GW	4.2 GW	1.4 GW
🇰🇷 South Korea	4.2 GW	32 GW	3.5 GW	0.6 GW

China Dominance: China installed more renewables in 2024 (373.6 GW) than the rest of the world combined. China now has 33% of global renewable capacity.

Europe: REPowerEU Acceleration

70.1 GW

New renewable capacity added in 2024 (+18% vs 2023)

Country Performance

Country	2024 Additions	Total Capacity	RE Share	2030 Target
🇩🇪 Germany	18.8 GW	172 GW	52%	80% by 2030
🇪🇸 Spain	9.4 GW	87 GW	54%	74% by 2030
🇮🇹 Italy	6.8 GW	65 GW	41%	65% by 2030
🇳🇱 Netherlands	5.2 GW	34 GW	44%	70% by 2030
🇬🇧 UK	3.8 GW	58 GW	47%	95% by 2030

Americas: IRA-Driven Growth

83.7 GW

Combined additions in North and South America

Country Performance

Country	2024 Additions	Total Capacity	RE Share	Policy Driver
🇺🇸 United States	40.0 GW	378 GW	24%	IRA incentives
🇧🇷 Brazil	18.5 GW	198 GW	87%	Hydro + wind growth
🇨🇱 Chile	4.2 GW	32 GW	58%	Green hydrogen hub
🇲🇽 Mexico	3.8 GW	35 GW	31%	Private investment
🇨🇦 Canada	3.5 GW	108 GW	68%	Clean Electricity Regs

Africa: Critical Gap

4.2 GW

Only 0.7% of global additions despite 20% of world population

Energy Poverty Crisis: 567 million Africans (85% of global deficit) lack electricity access. Sub-Saharan Africa has just 52 GW renewable capacity for 1.2 billion people.

Country Progress

Country	2024 Additions	Total Capacity	Access Rate	Key Challenge
🇿🇦 South Africa	1.8 GW	12.5 GW	85%	Grid constraints
🇪🇬 Egypt	0.8 GW	6.8 GW	100%	Scaling investment
🇰🇪 Kenya	0.4 GW	3.2 GW	75%	Rural access
🇲🇦 Morocco	0.3 GW	4.1 GW	100%	Storage integration
🇳🇬 Nigeria	0.2 GW	1.2 GW	60%	Policy & financing

Middle East: Diversification Accelerating

5.7 GW

Renewable additions, up 35% from 2023

Country Progress

Country	2024 Additions	Total Capacity	Major Projects
🇸🇦 Saudi Arabia	2.8 GW	8.5 GW	NEOM Green Hydrogen, Sudair Solar
🇦🇪 UAE	1.2 GW	6.8 GW	Al Dhafra Solar (2 GW)
🇴🇲 Oman	0.8 GW	2.1 GW	Ibri II Solar, Green Hydrogen
🇶🇦 Qatar	0.4 GW	1.2 GW	Al Kharsaah Solar (800 MW)
🇯🇴 Jordan	0.3 GW	2.8 GW	26% RE achieved

Green Hydrogen Hub: NEOM's $8.4B green hydrogen project will produce 600 tonnes/day of green hydrogen by 2026, powered by 4 GW of dedicated solar and wind.

Renewable Energy Companies

Leading companies driving the global clean energy transition

Data: Company reports, Bloomberg, S&P Global | Q4 2024

Company Database 50 companies

Company	Country	Market Cap	Capacity	Primary Focus	Status
NextEra Energy	🇺🇸 USA	$155B	73 GW	Wind, Solar, Storage	Leader
CATL	🇨🇳 China	$135B	321 GWh	Battery Manufacturing	Leader
BYD	🇨🇳 China	$100B	190 GWh	EVs, Batteries, Solar	Leader
Iberdrola	🇪🇸 Spain	$85B	42 GW	Wind, Solar, Grids	Leader
Enel	🇮🇹 Italy	$72B	60 GW	Utility, Renewables	Leader
LONGi Green Energy	🇨🇳 China	$45B	85 GW/yr	Solar Manufacturing	Leader
JA Solar	🇨🇳 China	$18B	75 GW/yr	Solar Manufacturing	Major
Trina Solar	🇨🇳 China	$15B	65 GW/yr	Solar Manufacturing	Major
Vestas	🇩🇰 Denmark	$28B	180 GW installed	Wind Turbines	Leader
Siemens Gamesa	🇪🇸 Spain	$22B	140 GW installed	Wind Turbines	Major
Ørsted	🇩🇰 Denmark	$32B	15.4 GW	Offshore Wind	Leader
First Solar	🇺🇸 USA	$22B	16 GW/yr	Thin-Film Solar	Leader
Tesla Energy	🇺🇸 USA	Part of TSLA	40 GWh deployed	Storage, Solar	Leader
RWE	🇩🇪 Germany	$38B	31 GW	Wind, Solar, Storage	Leader
EDP Renováveis	🇵🇹 Portugal	$25B	16.4 GW	Wind, Solar	Major
Goldwind	🇨🇳 China	$12B	100 GW installed	Wind Turbines	Leader
LG Energy Solution	🇰🇷 Korea	$68B	200 GWh	Battery Manufacturing	Leader
Samsung SDI	🇰🇷 Korea	$28B	80 GWh	Battery Manufacturing	Major
Engie	🇫🇷 France	$45B	38 GW	Gas, Renewables, H2	Major
Nel ASA	🇳🇴 Norway	$1.8B	1.5 GW/yr	Electrolyzers	Emerging
Plug Power	🇺🇸 USA	$2.5B	2.5 GW/yr	Hydrogen Systems	Emerging
Enphase Energy	🇺🇸 USA	$15B	65M microinverters	Solar Microinverters	Leader
SolarEdge	🇮🇱/🇺🇸	$4B	180 GW shipped	Power Optimizers	Major
Brookfield Renewable	🇨🇦 Canada	$22B	33 GW	Hydro, Wind, Solar	Leader
GE Vernova	🇺🇸 USA	$80B	120 GW installed	Wind, Grid Tech	Leader
Jinko Solar	🇨🇳 China	$8B	90 GW shipped	Solar Manufacturing	Leader
China Three Gorges	🇨🇳 China	State-owned	130 GW	Hydro, Wind, Solar	Leader
Adani Green	🇮🇳 India	$28B	20.4 GW	Solar, Wind	Leader
Tata Power Renewable	🇮🇳 India	$12B	8.7 GW	Solar, Wind, Rooftop	Major
ReNew Power	🇮🇳 India	$6B	14 GW	Wind, Solar, Hydro	Major
Fluence Energy	🇺🇸 USA	$4B	18.8 GWh deployed	Grid Storage	Leader
Sungrow	🇨🇳 China	$25B	405 GW inverters	Inverters, Storage	Leader
Air Liquide H2	🇫🇷 France	Part of AL	3 GW by 2030	Hydrogen Infrastructure	Major

Major Projects Database

Landmark renewable energy projects worldwide

Source: Project announcements, IRENA, IEA

Bhadla Solar Park

🇮🇳 Rajasthan, India

Capacity2,245 MW

StatusOperational

Investment$1.4B

NotesWorld's largest solar park

Al Dhafra Solar PV

🇦🇪 Abu Dhabi, UAE

Capacity2,000 MW

StatusOperational

Tariff$0.0135/kWh

NotesWorld's lowest cost solar

Dogger Bank

🇬🇧 North Sea, UK

Capacity3,600 MW

StatusConstruction

Investment$11B

NotesWill power 6M homes

NEOM Green Hydrogen

🇸🇦 NEOM, Saudi Arabia

Capacity4 GW RE + 2.2 GW Electrolyzer

StatusConstruction

Investment$8.4B

Output600 t/day green H2

Moss Landing BESS

🇺🇸 California, USA

Capacity750 MW / 3,000 MWh

StatusOperational

TechnologyLi-ion (LFP)

NotesWorld's largest battery storage

Baihetan Dam

🇨🇳 Yunnan/Sichuan, China

Capacity16,000 MW

StatusOperational

Investment$34B

NotesWorld's 2nd largest hydropower

Gansu Wind Farm

🇨🇳 Gansu, China

Capacity20,000 MW (target)

StatusExpanding

Current10,000 MW operational

NotesWorld's largest wind complex

Vineyard Wind 1

🇺🇸 Massachusetts, USA

Capacity806 MW

StatusConstruction

Investment$2.8B

NotesFirst US utility-scale offshore

Western Green Energy Hub

🇦🇺 Western Australia

Capacity50 GW (RE)

StatusDevelopment

Investment$100B+

Output3.5M tonnes/year H2

Organizations Database

International organizations, agencies, and NGOs working on SDG 7

International Organizations

International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA)

Intergovernmental organization supporting countries in their transition to sustainable energy. 170 member countries. Headquarters: Abu Dhabi.

Energy StatisticsPolicy Support

International Energy Agency (IEA)

Autonomous organization providing policy recommendations, analysis and data on global energy sector. 31 member countries. Paris-based.

Energy AnalysisNet Zero Pathways

World Bank ESMAP

Energy Sector Management Assistance Program - global knowledge and technical assistance program. $1.5B portfolio.

Financing$1.5B active

Sustainable Energy for All (SEforALL)

International organization working with UN and leaders to drive faster action on SDG 7. Coordinates global tracking.

SDG 7 TrackingAdvocacy

Green Climate Fund (GCF)

World's largest dedicated climate fund, supporting developing countries. $30B pledged, $13B for energy projects.

$30B pledgedClimate Finance

African Development Bank (AfDB)

Multilateral development bank with Desert to Power initiative targeting 10 GW solar across Sahel. $20B energy portfolio.

Desert to PowerAfrica Focus

NGOs & Civil Society

Rocky Mountain Institute (RMI)

Non-profit focused on accelerating clean energy transition. Works on electricity, buildings, industry, mobility.

ResearchPolicy

World Resources Institute (WRI)

Global research organization working on environment and development challenges. Energy Program focuses on decarbonization.

ResearchData

GOGLA

Global association for the off-grid solar energy industry. 200+ members, represents companies providing energy access to 490M people.

490M reachedOff-grid

Clean Cooking Alliance

UN Foundation initiative working to achieve universal clean cooking by 2030. Works with 100+ partners.

2.1B gapHealth

Power for All

Global campaign to deliver universal energy access through decentralized renewables. 300+ partner coalition.

Decentralized REAdvocacy

Global Energy Alliance for People & Planet

$10B partnership to support energy transition in emerging markets. Aims to deliver energy to 1B people.

$10BEM Focus

Technology Dashboard

Clean energy technology status, maturity, and breakthrough innovations

Source: IRENA Innovation Landscape, IEA Energy Technology Perspectives

Technology Maturity Assessment

Technology	TRL	Global Capacity	LCOE ($/MWh)	2024 Growth	Status
☀️ Solar PV (Utility)	TRL 9	1,865 GW	$24-36	+32.2%	Mature
🌬️ Onshore Wind	TRL 9	1,020 GW	$26-45	+8.5%	Mature
🌊 Offshore Wind	TRL 9	113 GW	$55-82	+18%	Scaling
💧 Hydropower	TRL 9	1,277 GW	$35-90	+1.3%	Mature
🔋 Li-ion Batteries	TRL 9	200 GWh/yr	$139/kWh	+45%	Mature
🌋 Geothermal	TRL 9	15 GW	$45-80	+2.8%	Mature
🟢 Green Hydrogen	TRL 7-8	1.5 GW electrolyzer	$3-6/kg H2	+75%	Scaling
🔋 Solid-State Batteries	TRL 5-6	Pilot scale	$200+/kWh	N/A	Emerging
☀️ Perovskite Solar	TRL 6-7	Pre-commercial	$15-25 (proj)	N/A	Emerging
🌊 Floating Offshore Wind	TRL 7-8	0.3 GW	$100-150	+200%	Emerging
⚛️ SMR Nuclear	TRL 6-7	Demonstration	$60-100	N/A	Emerging

Breakthrough Technologies

☀️ Perovskite-Silicon Tandem Solar Cells ▼

Status: Lab efficiency reached 34.6% (LONGi, Dec 2024) - world record for any solar cell.

Advantage: Can be layered on existing silicon cells to boost efficiency by 25-30%.

Timeline: Commercial production expected 2026-2028.

🔋 Solid-State Batteries ▼

Status: Toyota, Samsung SDI, QuantumScape in advanced development. Toyota targets 2027 mass production.

Advantage: 2-3x energy density of Li-ion, faster charging, improved safety.

Timeline: Initial EVs with solid-state expected 2027-2028.

🌋 Enhanced Geothermal Systems (EGS) ▼

Status: Fervo Energy's Project Red in Nevada operational (3.5 MW).

Advantage: Unlocks geothermal anywhere. Baseload power with 90%+ capacity factor.

Potential: Could provide 100+ GW in US alone, 1,000+ GW globally.

🟢 Green Hydrogen at Scale ▼

Status: Global electrolyzer capacity reached 1.5 GW in 2024. NEOM adds 2.2 GW by 2026.

Cost: Green H2 costs falling from $6/kg toward $2/kg target by 2030.

Applications: Steel, ammonia, shipping fuel, long-duration storage.

LCOE Trends

Policy Framework

Key policies, regulations, and commitments driving the energy transition

Major Policy Frameworks

Policy/Agreement	Jurisdiction	Key Targets	Investment	Status
COP28 Global Renewables Pledge	Global (130 countries)	Triple renewables to 11.2 TW by 2030	$4.5T cumulative	Active
US Inflation Reduction Act (IRA)	United States	40% emissions reduction by 2030	$369B federal + $1T+ private	Active
EU REPowerEU	European Union	45% RE share by 2030; 750 GW solar	€300B through 2030	Active
China 14th Five-Year Plan	China	1,200 GW wind+solar by 2030	$750B+ through 2025	Active
India Green Hydrogen Mission	India	5 MT green H2 by 2030	$2.3B govt + $100B private	Active
Japan GX	Japan	Carbon neutrality by 2050	¥150T ($1T) over 10 years	Active
UK Energy Security Strategy	United Kingdom	95% clean power by 2030	£100B private target	Active

Policy Mechanisms

Carbon Pricing

73 carbon pricing initiatives covering 23% of global emissions. EU ETS at €80+/tonne.

23% emissions covered

Renewable Auctions

Record low prices: $0.0104/kWh solar (Saudi Arabia), $0.0176/kWh wind (Brazil).

Record low prices

Tax Credits

US IRA provides 30% ITC for solar, 2.75¢/kWh PTC for wind. Bonus credits available.

30% ITC

Feed-in Tariffs

Guaranteed prices for RE generation. Key in emerging markets for project bankability.

75 countries

RPS/RES Mandates

29 US states + DC have RPS. California: 60% by 2030, 100% by 2045.

29 US states

Green Bonds

$500B+ annual issuance financing clean energy. Sovereign bonds from 50+ countries.

$500B/year

Net Zero Commitments

Countries with Net Zero Targets 149 countries (92% global GDP)

Status	Countries	% of Emissions	Examples
In Law	26	15%	UK, France, Germany, Japan, Sweden
In Policy	56	42%	USA, China, India, Brazil
Declared	67	21%	Australia, Indonesia, South Africa
No Target	44	8%	Various developing nations

Forecasts & Scenarios

Future projections for the global energy transition

Source: IEA WEO 2024, IRENA World Energy Transitions Outlook, BloombergNEF

IEA Scenario Comparison (2030)

Metric	STEPS (Current Policies)	APS (Announced Pledges)	NZE (Net Zero 2050)
Renewable Capacity	8,500 GW	10,100 GW	11,200 GW
Solar PV Capacity	4,200 GW	5,100 GW	5,800 GW
Wind Capacity	1,800 GW	2,300 GW	2,800 GW
EV Sales Share	45%	55%	65%
RE Share of Electricity	42%	50%	60%
Global Temperature Rise	2.4°C	1.7°C	1.5°C

Key Projections

Solar Dominance: Solar PV will become the largest source of electricity globally by 2035, surpassing coal and natural gas. Cumulative installations to reach 7,000+ GW by 2035.

Peak Fossil Fuels: IEA projects peak demand for oil, gas, and coal all occurring before 2030 under current policies - first time in history.

Battery Cost Decline: Li-ion battery pack prices expected to fall below $100/kWh by 2026, making EVs cost-competitive with ICE vehicles without subsidies in most markets.

Grid Investment Critical: Grid infrastructure investment must double from $400B to $800B annually by 2030 to accommodate renewable growth and electrification.

Technology Cost Trajectories

Technology	2020	2024	2030 (Projected)	% Decline
Utility Solar LCOE	$50/MWh	$30/MWh	$20/MWh	-60%
Onshore Wind LCOE	$45/MWh	$35/MWh	$25/MWh	-44%
Battery Pack Cost	$137/kWh	$139/kWh	$80/kWh	-42%
Green Hydrogen	$6.00/kg	$4.50/kg	$2.00/kg	-67%
Offshore Wind LCOE	$84/MWh	$68/MWh	$45/MWh	-46%