The “unstoppable” growth of renewables is the scientific breakthrough of the year for Science magazine

Science magazine's selection of the growth of renewable energy as the milestone of 2025 accurately reflects the magnitude of the change that the global energy system is undergoing. This is not a temporary trend, but a genuine paradigm shift: for the first time, solar and wind energy have grown enough to cover the entire increase in global electricity demand in the first half of the year and have surpassed coal in electricity generation. This progress has been made possible by renewables becoming an economically competitive option, driven largely by China's industrial strategy, which has committed to these technologies both to meet its enormous domestic demand and to export them globally.

The real milestone is not only that renewables are growing, but that they have become the most economical and secure option for meeting most of the world's energy demand.

This positive news, however, calls for cautious reflection. The massive deployment of renewable energy is a necessary but not sufficient condition for addressing the climate challenge. Significant structural challenges remain, such as the adaptation of electricity grids, large-scale energy storage, the electrification of difficult sectors, and the geopolitical tensions associated with China's industrial dominance. Furthermore, China's energy transition has had significant environmental impacts and has not yet led to a complete abandonment of coal, which continues to play a backup role. The underlying message is clear: technology and economics are already aligned, but the ultimate success of the transition will depend on political decisions, adequate energy system planning, and the capacity for long-term sustainable integration.

The selection by the prestigious journal Science of the growth of renewable energies as a milestone for 2025 is a clear indicator of the maturity of the technologies on which they are based, as well as the entry onto the scene of a new and powerful player: China. The message is clear and forceful: if a firm and serious commitment is made, change no longer depends on ideas or technologies, but on the ability to implement them on a large scale and quickly.

The deployment of wind and photovoltaic farms over the last year in China has contributed significantly to the increased penetration of renewable energies. Added to this is the high level of development of photovoltaic self-consumption due to the low prices of panels from, of course, China, the world leader in their production. All this has led to renewable energies surpassing fossil fuels in terms of meeting electricity demand, with their growth sufficient to cover new global electricity demand in the first half of the year.

Nor should we forget emerging technologies, such as new types of more efficient solar cells and batteries with new chemistries that will surpass the current lithium-ion-based ones, which promise to further expand the possibilities and scope of renewable energies.

As a reflection, this milestone shows that clean energy can and must be consolidated as the most practical and cost-effective option for moving towards energy transition and a decarbonized global economy. To achieve this, it is essential to continue acting on all fronts: promoting the development of new renewable plants, facilitating access to these technologies for electricity markets, strengthening the flexibility and reliability of networks, and, of course, accompanying this entire process with coherent and favorable public policies.

The rapid expansion of renewable energy technologies demonstrates that an energy transition away from fossil fuels is not only necessary but also possible. The modularity and flexibility of renewable energy enable progress toward energy sovereignty, not only for countries that previously depended on fossil fuel imports, but also for small communities, cooperatives, and small businesses that, through flexible and inexpensive technologies, can bring electricity to remote areas or supply electricity to local industries and services. Reduced technology costs have made community energy viable and affordable.

However, renewable technologies also have environmental and social impacts. The renewable energy industry relies heavily on extractive materials such as lithium and cobalt for batteries, polysilicon for solar panels, and rare earth elements for magnets used in wind power production. As demand grows, the expansion of renewable energy creates new geopolitical dynamics to secure strategic control of minerals and supply chains. And energy production also has a social cost. There are credible reports of forced labor in the manufacture of polysilicon for solar panels. The growth of renewable energy has also often been accompanied by large-scale infrastructure projects with significant social and ecological costs, including displacement of communities, loss of livelihoods, deforestation, and degradation of terrestrial and marine ecosystems. Strong opposition has arisen within local and indigenous communities to projects such as the wind farms in the Isthmus of Tehuantepec in Mexico, the Fosen wind project in Norway, and multiple solar farms in Rajasthan, India.

The expansion of renewable energy cannot be accepted at any price. Renewable energy must be integrated into a just transition that takes into account the equitable distribution of benefits and burdens, recognizes the right of individuals and communities to control how energy is produced, distributed, and used in their territories, and ensures the inclusion of multiple voices in decision-making processes. A just energy transition is within everyone's reach, but it requires political will and social support.