Energy Transition Investment Trends – 2026
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Why Does the Energy Transition Investment Market Matter?
Global investment in renewable energy reached approximately $683 billion in 2025 and is projected to exceed $700 billion in 2026, highlighting the continued momentum behind the global energy transition despite inflation, geopolitical uncertainty, shifting policies, and changing project economics.
GlobalData’s Energy Transition Investment Trends report provides a comprehensive assessment of investment across mature and emerging energy technologies. It examines investment trends by region and technology while assessing the policy, technological, economic, and demand-side factors shaping capital allocation across the energy sector.
The report also explores how the rapid growth of artificial intelligence and data centers is increasing electricity demand and influencing investment in power generation and infrastructure.
With renewable power generation continuing to attract substantially more capital than fossil fuel-fired generation, the report helps businesses, investors, energy companies, policymakers, and infrastructure stakeholders understand where capital is flowing and where future opportunities are emerging.
Key Insights into Global Energy Transition Investment
The report highlights several major trends shaping the global energy transition investment landscape:
- Global renewable energy investment reached approximately $683 billion in 2025
- Renewable investment is projected to exceed $700 billion in 2026
- APAC accounted for 59% of global renewable energy investment in 2025
- Solar PV and onshore wind continue to dominate new power investment
- Solar PV accounted for 53% of global power generation investment in 2025
- Renewable power generation is attracting significantly more investment than fossil fuel-fired generation
- Transmission infrastructure is becoming a critical constraint as renewable deployment accelerates
- Energy storage investment will become increasingly important for grid flexibility and reliability
- Nuclear energy is attracting renewed investment as demand for low-carbon firm power increases
- Hydrogen investment is entering a more selective phase amid high costs and offtake uncertainty
- CCUS and renewable refineries are showing improving project progression
- AI and data center expansion are reshaping electricity demand and power investment priorities
Scope
What Will You Learn from This Energy Transition Investment Trends Report?
This report provides insight into:
- Global energy transition investment trends from 2015 to 2030
- Renewable energy investment by region and technology
- Power generation investment by country
- Solar PV and wind investment trends
- Nuclear energy investment
- Fossil fuel power investment
- Transmission and grid infrastructure investment
- Energy storage investment
- Hydrogen investment trends
- Carbon capture, utilization and storage (CCUS)
- Renewable standalone refinery investment
- Global project cost trends by technology
- Macroeconomic factors affecting energy investment
- Geopolitical and energy security considerations
- The impact of AI and data centers on electricity demand
- Policy and regulatory factors influencing investment decisions
Target Buyers for This Energy Transition Investment Trends Report
This report may be valuable for:
- Renewable energy companies
- Power generation companies
- Oil and gas companies
- Utilities
- Energy infrastructure developers
- Renewable energy investors
- Private equity firms
- Infrastructure funds
- Banks and financial institutions
- Energy technology companies
- Grid and transmission operators
- Energy storage companies
- Hydrogen developers
- CCUS companies
- Government and policy organizations
- Energy consultants
- Market intelligence professionals
How Companies Use This Energy Transition Investment Analysis
Energy companies, investors, infrastructure developers, and policymakers can use the report to understand where capital is flowing across the global energy transition.
For example:
- Renewable energy developers can identify regions and technologies attracting the highest levels of investment
- Utilities can assess future investment requirements across generation, transmission, and storage
- Investors can identify technologies and markets with strong investment momentum
- Infrastructure funds can evaluate opportunities across power networks and energy infrastructure
- Oil and gas companies can assess how the energy transition is affecting long-term capital allocation
- Hydrogen and CCUS developers can identify the factors influencing project progression and investment
- Technology companies can assess opportunities created by AI-driven electricity demand
- Policymakers can understand the investment implications of changing energy policies and regulatory frameworks
- Consulting firms can use the analysis to support energy strategy, investment, and market-entry projects
Key Highlights
Despite elevated geopolitical tensions and economic uncertainty, investment trends show that global capital flows to the power sector are set to rise in 2026 to ~$815 billion, a 3% rise versus 2025.
Around $705 billion is going collectively to renewable power generation, almost 9 times as much as the ~$83 billion invested into fossil fuel-fired generation.
Solar PV and offshore wind are set to experience the largest reduction in project costs between 2025 and 2030, at 63% and 45%, respectively.
In 2025, solar PV received 53% of global investment in the power generation sector, a significant increase from its 22% share in 2015.
Solar PV’s rise to investment dominance reflects a substantial reduction in module costs, driven by Chinese manufacturing scale and supply chain maturation.
Coal- and gas-fired power are expected to see the largest decreases in investment share from 2015 to 2030, with coal’s share falling by 12% and gas’s falling by 8%. Though coal- and gas-fired power investment persists in emerging and developing economies, with growing industrial activity and energy security concerns, this reduction reflects a structural shift driven by carbon pricing mechanisms, such as the EU’s Emission Trading System.
Despite the accelerating pace of renewable energy investment in the power sector, the CAPEX invested across oil and gas operations remains substantial in absolute terms, underscoring the continued role of hydrocarbons in meeting near-term global energy demand.
Reasons to Buy
Benchmark Global Energy Transition Investment by Region and Technology
The report enables users to compare energy transition investment across:
- APAC
- Europe
- North America
- Other global regions
- Solar PV
- Onshore wind
- Offshore wind
- Nuclear
- Fossil fuel generation
- Transmission
- Energy storage
- Hydrogen
- CCUS
- Renewable refineries
This provides a comprehensive view of where investment is accelerating, where project economics remain challenging, and which technologies could offer the strongest future opportunities.
Built on GlobalData Energy Intelligence
GlobalData’s Energy Transition Investment Trends report combines market intelligence, investment analysis, technology assessment, policy research, and macroeconomic analysis to provide a detailed view of the evolving global energy investment landscape.
The report assesses both established and emerging technologies while examining the economic, geopolitical, technological, and policy factors influencing investment decisions.
This allows organizations to move beyond headline investment figures and understand the underlying forces determining where capital is being deployed.
Act Now to Identify Opportunities in the Global Energy Transition
The global energy transition is entering a more selective phase, with investors increasingly evaluating project economics, technology maturity, energy security, demand certainty, and infrastructure requirements.
At the same time, the rapid expansion of renewable genera
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Sample Report
Energy Transition Investment Trends – 2026 was curated by the best experts in the industry and we are confident about its unique quality. However, we want you to make the most beneficial decision for your business, so we offer free sample pages to help you:
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Download your copy of the sample report and make an informed decision about whether the full report will provide you with the insights and information you need.
