Fatih Birol

New Capabilities

Leading voice on global energy transition analysis

In 2004, the world installed one gigawatt (GW) of solar power in a year. By 2025, that amount went online every single day. Global renewable capacity passed 5,000 GW by year-end, and Science Magazine named the surge its 2025 Breakthrough of the Year. Coal still generated 34% of global electricity in 2025, the International Energy Agency said; renewables accounted for 49.5% of installed capacity., and U.S. renewables supplied a record 25.7% of electricity in 2025.

Updated Oct 31

Money Moves

Said in October 2026 that diesel costs about 200% more than before the Middle East conflict

Gasoline-only cars fell to 49% of global new-vehicle sales in the first half of 2026, the first time on record they have been below half. The share was 73% as recently as 2021.

Updated Oct 30

Built World

Led the October 15 IEA Governing Board decision to complete the release and frontload over 20 million barrels of diesel

Germany's emergency release regulation took effect on October 22, 20 days after the G7 set that as the deadline for frontloaded diesel. Its first tender surfaced a day later. The economy ministry told n-tv on October 23 that 6 million barrels had been released, leaving 13.5 million outstanding.

Updated Oct 24

New Capabilities

Leading global energy policy since 2015

Renewables drew level with coal globally in 2025 and are now overtaking it, according to the International Energy Agency's February 2026 Electricity report. Renewables and nuclear combined are forecast to reach 50% of global electricity by 2030, up from 42% today.

Updated Oct 23

Built World

As of May 2026: Co-author of the Tracking SDG7 progress reports

In 2000, 1.35 billion people lived without electricity. By May 2026, that count has fallen to roughly 675 million. The drop works out to about 334,000 new connections every day, sustained for a quarter century.

Updated May 31

Money Moves

As of May 2026: Serving third term, leads annual World Energy Investment report

The International Energy Agency expects global energy spending to reach $3.4 trillion this year, with about $2.2 trillion flowing to clean power, grids, storage, and electrification. Oil spending falls below $500 billion for the third consecutive year. Gas investment hits a 10-year high at $330 billion, driven by LNG expansion in the US and Qatar.

Updated May 29

Money Moves

As of May 2026: Leading voice on energy transition and market balance

Brent crude averaged $80 per barrel in 2024. The U.S. Energy Information Administration now forecasts it will fall to $58 in 2026 and $53 in 2027—a decline of more than one-third in three years. The reason: global oil production is growing faster than demand, and inventories are piling up at a rate not seen since the pandemic.

Updated May 27

Built World

As of May 2026: Framing AI and data centres as a top-tier driver of global electricity demand

Since late 2022, U.S. regulators and utilities have warned that AI-optimized data centers could reshape national power demand, ending an era of flat electricity consumption and forcing rapid buildout of generation and transmission. By early 2026, those warnings have crystallized into concrete challenges. PJM Interconnection's December 2025 capacity auction hit the $333.44/MW-day price cap and failed to meet reliability requirements for the first time in its history. Data centers accounted for $6.5 billion—or 40%—of the auction's $16.4 billion in costs.

Updated May 10