The transition from fossil fuels to renewable energy sources is a critical part of the fight against human-caused climate change. Energy sources such as solar, wind and hydroelectric projects are growing rapidly, accounting for more than 90% of new electricity capacity built worldwide in 2024, according to the International Renewable Energy Agency. That’s impressive, but still falls far short of international targets, especially as data centers drive up demand for gas and other fossil fuels. Regardless, increasing investment in renewable energy projects is an important step, although there is still much work to be done.
By their nature, the availability of renewable energy sources depends on location, so the most popular type varies greatly. Worldwide, hydropower accounts for the majority, or 52%, of all renewable electricity produced in 2023. To put that in perspective, the 4.4 million gigawatt hours (GWh) of hydroelectric power produced is approximately the total amount produced by the United States in the same year. This includes fossil fuels and nuclear power, which is not 100% clean, but does not produce air pollution.
Wind is the most common renewable energy source in the United States
In 2023, wind energy will account for about 10% of total electricity generation in the United States, and the five states with the most wind turbines are Texas and Kansas. The dominance of wind makes sense given the expanse of wide open spaces available in the center of the country and the fact that wind is more efficient than solar energy. The United States has taken steps to expand its offshore wind capacity, although current projects face political obstacles due to President Trump’s well-documented opposition to wind power.
The current administration has paid about $4 billion to offshore wind companies to prevent them from building new wind farms. Still, the United States was one of the world’s largest producers of wind energy in 2025, at 20%, just behind China (35%). That said, U.S. solar energy capabilities are growing rapidly.
New projects coming online in 2026 and 2027 are expected to increase overall solar generation capacity by nearly 50% compared to 2025, much of it coming from power plants in Texas. States that produced more electricity from solar than from coal or gas include Maine and Utah, as of May 2026. Hydropower represents a smaller share of U.S. electricity generation, 5% in 2025, much of which comes from Western states.
China accounts for most of global clean energy growth
In 2023, global clean energy production reached 30% of total electricity production for the first time. Much of this growth has come from China, which has made huge investments in renewable energy projects, including huge solar, wind and hydroelectric plants. Renewable energy accounted for 42% of China’s electricity generation in 2025, of which 13% came from hydropower. The country is also at the forefront of green energy innovation, such as a flying wind turbine which, if scalable, could harness energy from high wind sources.
Despite this progress, China still derives 58% of its electricity – more than 6,000 terawatt hours in 2025 – from fossil fuels. China actually uses more coal than the rest of the world combined. While the country’s overall coal consumption stagnates, global consumption reached a record high in 2025 and is expected to increase over the next two years due to ongoing conflicts in the Middle East.
Global solar, wind and hydropower capacity is growing rapidly along with demand. Even if electricity production increases, it doesn’t mean much if storage capacity and transmission infrastructure don’t increase with it, as evidenced by the excess energy production from UK wind farms. Although there are promising developments in the production and use of renewable energy, we still have a long way to go to phase out fossil fuels.
