5 Trends in 2026 for Global Power and Renewables Markets
Power markets are entering 2026 shaped by new commercial, political, and strategic pressures, from AI‑driven demand growth to tightening reserve margins and rising price volatility. Political shifts and fiscal constraints are weakening policy support for clean technologies, even as some countries double down on low‑carbon investment for energy security and economic goals—driving an increasingly divergent path toward global power‑sector decarbonization.
As 2026 begins, the Global Power and Renewables team within S&P Global Energy considers five key trends that we believe will define power and renewables markets worldwide this year. These key issues and signposts will guide our research agenda for 2026:
- Power markets, policies and company strategies will evolve in response to shifting data center dynamics
- Affordability concerns will remain in focus, bringing increased pressure on policymakers to respond
- Ongoing power price volatility will yield changes in market mechanisms and designs
- Renewables will increasingly need to compete on their own merits, with less reliance on policy support
- Shifting political considerations will lead to diverging paths toward decarbonization
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