Laser Focus World is an industry bedrock—first published in 1965 and still going strong. We publish original articles about cutting-edge advances in lasers, optics, photonics, sensors, and quantum technologies, as well as test and measurement, and the shift currently underway to usher in the photonic integrated circuits, optical interconnects, and copackaged electronics and photonics to deliver the speed and efficiency essential for data centers of the future.

Our 80,000 qualified print subscribers—and 130,000 12-month engaged online audience—trust us to dive in and provide original journalism you won’t find elsewhere covering key emerging areas such as laser-driven inertial confinement fusion, lasers in space, integrated photonics, chipscale lasers, LiDAR, metasurfaces, high-energy laser weaponry, photonic crystals, and quantum computing/sensors/communications. We cover the innovations driving these markets.

Laser Focus World is part of Endeavor Business Media, a division of EndeavorB2B.

Laser Focus World Membership

Never miss any articles, videos, podcasts, or webinars by signing up for membership access to Laser Focus World online. You can manage your preferences all in one place—and provide our editorial team with your valued feedback.

Magazine Subscription

Can you subscribe to receive our print issue for free? Yes, you sure can!

Newsletter Subscription

Laser Focus World newsletter subscription is free to qualified professionals:

The Daily Beam

Showcases the newest content from Laser Focus World, including photonics- and optics-based applications, components, research, and trends. (Daily)

Product Watch

The latest in products within the photonics industry. (9x per year)

Bio & Life Sciences Product Watch

The latest in products within the biophotonics industry. (4x per year)

Laser Processing Product Watch

The latest in products within the laser processing industry. (3x per year)

Get Published!

If you’d like to write an article for us, reach out with a short pitch to Sally Cole Johnson: [email protected]. We love to hear from you.

Photonics Hot List

Laser Focus World produces a video newscast that gives a peek into what’s happening in the world of photonics.

Following the Photons: A Photonics Podcast

Following the Photons: A Photonics Podcast dives deep into the fascinating world of photonics. Our weekly episodes feature interviews and discussions with industry and research experts, providing valuable perspectives on the issues, technologies, and trends shaping the photonics community.

Editorial Advisory Board

  • Professor Andrea M. Armani, University of Southern California
  • Ruti Ben-Shlomi, Ph.D., LightSolver
  • James Butler, Ph.D., Hamamatsu
  • Natalie Fardian-Melamed, Ph.D., Columbia University
  • Justin Sigley, Ph.D., AmeriCOM
  • Professor Birgit Stiller, Max Planck Institute for the Science of Light, and Leibniz University of Hannover
  • Professor Stephen Sweeney, University of Glasgow
  • Mohan Wang, Ph.D., University of Oxford
  • Professor Xuchen Wang, Harbin Engineering University
  • Professor Stefan Witte, Delft University of Technology

Renewable energy accounted for 92% of all power growth globally in 2024

Renewable energy accounted for 92% of all power growth globally in 2024

Countries around the world added 585 gigawatts of renewable energy capacity in 2025, accounting for 92.5% of all power growth globally, a report out this week from the International Renewable Energy Agency says. That figure equated to an annual growth rate of a record high 15.1%, the agency said.

Despite the record increase, renewable energy growth is still not moving fast enough to satisfy the global goal to triple renewable capacity to 11.2 terawatts by 2030. The energy agency said to achieve that goal renewable capacity will need to grow at least 16.6% each year until then.

“The continuous growth of renewables we witness each year is evidence that renewables are economically viable and readily deployable,” said IRENA Director-General Francesco La Camera in a press release. “Each year they keep breaking their own expansion records, but we also face the same challenges of great regional disparities and the ticking clock as the 2030 deadline is imminent.”

The regional disparities reflect that fact that most of the worldwide growth in renewables is coming from Asia, and China in particular. The IRENA data show China accounted for almost 64% of the global added capacity while Central America and the Caribbean contributed just 3.2%. Altogether the G-20 countries, which includes China and the U.S., accounted for 90% of the new capacity.

Renewable energy accounted for 92% of all power growth globally in 2024

“Renewable energy is powering down the fossil fuel age. Record-breaking growth is creating jobs, lowering energy bills and cleaning our air. Renewables renew economies,” United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres told IRENA. “But the shift to clean energy must be faster and fairer – with all countries given the chance to fully benefit from cheap, clean renewable power.”

Solar and wind energy continued to expand the most, jointly accounting for 96.6% of all net renewable additions in 2024. Over three-quarters of the capacity expansion was in solar energy which increased by 32.2%, reaching 1,865 gigawatts, followed by wind energy which grew by 11.1%.

Among the other highlights in the report:

  • Solar: Solar photovoltaics increased by 451.9 GW last year. China alone added 278 GW to the total expansion, followed by India (24.5 GW).
  • Hydropower (excluding pumped storage hydropower): Capacity reached 1,283 GW, demonstrating a notable rebound from 2023, driven by China. Ethiopia, Indonesia, Nepal Pakistan, Tanzania and Viet Nam added more than 0.5 GW each.
  • Wind: Wind energy expansion declined slightly, to a total of 1,133 GW capacity by the end of 2024. Expansion was once again dominated by China and the United States.
  • Bioenergy: Expansion rebounded in 2024, with an increase of 4.6 GW of capacity compared to an increase of 3.0 GW in 2023. The growth was driven by China and France with 1.3 GW of additions each.
  • Geothermal: Geothermal energy increased by 0.4 GW overall, led by New Zealand, followed by Indonesia, Türkiye, and the US.
  • Off-grid electricity (excluding Eurasia, Europe and North America): capacity expansion nearly tripled, growing by 1.7 GW to reach 14.3 GW. Growth was dominated by off-grid solar energy which reached 6.3 GW by 2024.

Read the full Renewable Capacity Statistics 2025 here.

Read more: Lego doubles the renewables in its kid-friendly bricks

Stock Quote API & Stock News API supplied by www.cloudquote.io
Quotes delayed at least 20 minutes.
By accessing this page, you agree to the following
Privacy Policy and Terms Of Service.