Five Takeaways from IEA’s report on World Energy Investment

Clean energy investment is at a record high, but there's room for much more.

Clean energy investment is a record high, according to the recently released World Energy Investment 2025 report by the International Energy Agency (IEA). The report provides an update of the investment picture in 2024 and what we can expect in 2025. Below we provide five charts and takeaways from the report.

1. Global energy investment has never been more weighted toward clean solutions. Less than half went to clean categories 10 years ago, but now that fraction is two-thirds. Solar receives more investment than any other technology ($450 billion).

2. Clean electricity investment “towers above” fossil fuel sources by 12:1 in the advanced economies, by 6:1 in China, and by 2:1 in other emerging markets and developing economies.

3. However, more coal and gas power plant capacity was approved in 2024 than in any year since 2015. Time will tell if these plants are fully utilized, or if they bring further risks that raise costs for consumers and corporates alike.

4. Transport shows a similar story. Though electric vehicles and their investments are growing higher than ever, oil subsidies are still four times higher in emerging markets. Powering vehicles with locally produced renewable electricity would save these nations billions of dollars every year.

5. Global progress requires systemic solutions. Africa has 20 percent of the global population, but only 2 percent of clean energy investment. With currencies depreciating by two times or more in just the past decade, debt servicing costs are nearly as much as total energy investment.

We’ll also need much more than money — from supportive policies to accelerated grid buildout, since procuring the right materials can take years. You can find much more in the full report as well as in all of RMI’s work to overcome these barriers.