Renewables to eclipse fossil fuels for half of the world's population

This report by Global Energy Monitor analyzes the power sector transition within the BRICS bloc, noting that non-fossil power capacity is poised to exceed fossil-fueled capacity for the first time in 2024. While the bloc hosts a significant portion of the world's coal capacity and continues to develop new fossil fuel plants, there is a massive pipeline of wind, solar, and hydropower projects that could potentially align the group with global goals to triple renewable capacity by 2030.

• The share of power capacity fueled by coal, oil, and gas in the BRICS bloc is expected to fall below 50% by the end of 2024. Non-fossil capacity additions as of mid-2024 in China, India, and Brazil alone (190 GW) already exceed the total fossil capacity slated for commissioning in 2024 (158 GW).
• The BRICS group accounts for a disproportionate amount of global coal capacity, representing approximately 70% of the world's operating coal fleet. Within the bloc, coal is the primary power source for South Africa (70%), India (51%), and China (41%).
• In-development wind and utility-scale solar projects in the BRICS total 1,550 GW, which is roughly double the capacity of fossil-fueled projects in development. Utility-scale solar is the leading technology with 814 GW, while wind follows with 744 GW; China hosts 70% of the solar and 67% of the wind pipeline.
• Despite the growth of renewables, most BRICS members continue to develop fossil-fueled power. All members except Ethiopia have fossil-fueled projects in development. If completed, these projects would increase the bloc's operating coal capacity by 36% and oil/gas capacity by 53%.
• The BRICS group has 2,276 GW of renewable capacity in development due for completion by 2030. This represents approximately 95% of the additional utility-scale renewable capacity needed to meet the global tripling target when excluding distributed solar PV.
• The transition varies significantly by member: Brazil's non-fossil share is nearly 90%, and Ethiopia's is near 100%. Conversely, Iran is the only member with a surplus of fossil-powered capacity additions according to construction data, primarily consisting of gas plants.

APA

Norman, J. (2024). Renewables to eclipse fossil fuels for half of the world's population. Global Energy Monitor. https://globalenergymonitor.org/research/energy-brics

Chicago

Norman, James. Renewables to eclipse fossil fuels for half of the world's population. Global Energy Monitor, 2024. https://globalenergymonitor.org/research/energy-brics.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |last1=Norman |first1=James |title=Renewables to eclipse fossil fuels for half of the world's population |publisher=Global Energy Monitor |date=29 October 2024 |url=https://globalenergymonitor.org/research/energy-brics |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{norman2024renewables, author = {Norman, James}, title = {{Renewables to eclipse fossil fuels for half of the world's population}}, institution = {Global Energy Monitor}, year = {2024}, month = oct, url = {https://globalenergymonitor.org/research/energy-brics}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }