The International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA) released its World Energy Transition Outlook 2026 in Abu Dhabi on October 13, 2026. Under the agency’s revised 1.5°C Scenario, electricity would supply around 47% of final energy use in transport by 2050, and its share of all final energy would rise from about 23% today to 35% by 2035. IRENA warns that grids, storage and flexibility are not keeping pace with renewable additions.
Key Takeaways
- IRENA’s 1.5°C Scenario sees electricity supplying about 47% of transport energy by 2050.
- Electricity’s share of global final energy would rise from about 23% today to 35% by 2035.
- The agency names grids, storage and flexibility as the main bottlenecks.
- Controllable, networked chargers fit the direction regulators are taking.
Key Figures
| Indicator (IRENA 1.5°C Scenario) | Today | 2035 | 2050 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Electricity share of global final energy | About 23% | 35% | Over 50% |
| Installed renewable power capacity | 5.2 TW | About 18.4 TW | About 38.2 TW |
| Electricity share of transport final energy | — | — | About 47% |
| Electricity share in buildings / industry | — | — | About 77% / 42% |
- Solar and wind would supply more than 80% of electricity by mid-century.
- Required investment and expenditure: around USD 10.3 trillion per year between 2026 and 2050, mostly in renewable power, grids, flexibility and end-use electrification.
- Renewable energy jobs could rise more than fivefold from just over 16 million today.
What IRENA Is Asking For
The report argues that adding generation to an unchanged system is not enough. Director-General Francesco La Camera said grids are struggling to keep pace and energy efficiency is falling short, and described electrification, grids, storage and flexibility as the backbone of the transition rather than side issues. The Outlook sets seven priorities for the coming decade, including integrated energy and market planning, country-tailored roadmaps, grid modernisation and deeper international cooperation.
IRENA also stresses that there is no single pathway. By 2050, electricity would reach around 64% of final energy in the European Union, around 53% in ASEAN and close to 50% in Africa and in Latin America and the Caribbean.
What It Means
For the charging sector, the message is that volume growth and grid management now have to be planned together. When transport moves toward roughly half electricity, the flexibility of each charger matters as much as its power rating. Site owners and installers can expect utilities and regulators to ask more often for chargers that can be scheduled, capped or controlled remotely, especially at depots and multi-unit buildings.
Distributors should treat network control features, such as OCPP connectivity and adjustable current, as baseline requirements for commercial tenders rather than extras. EVDANCE’s commercial charging solutions and the EV-AC03201T dual-connector AC station with OCPP 1.6J are examples of networked hardware built for managed sites.
Related Reading
- Smart Charging and Time-of-Use Tariffs: How Scheduling Cuts EV Charging Costs
- What Is EV Charger Load Balancing? How Multi-Charger Sites Share Power
- Bidirectional Charging Explained: V2L, V2H and V2G
