Clarity AI Maps Global Gaps in Corporate Renewable Energy Use, and the Critical Infrastructure We Need to Reach Net Zero
A new Clarity AI report analyzes corporate renewable energy use from 2020 through 2025, drawing on firms listed in the MSCI ACWI and focusing on the ten countries with the strongest renewable generation. The findings reveal a nuanced global mosaic: some countries and sectors are rapidly accelerating their adoption of renewables, while others show persistent inertia. The study demonstrates how AI-driven data can illuminate patterns of progress and stagnation, offering a clearer lens for corporate sustainability strategy and policy design.
Geographic and Sectoral Landscape
Global momentum in corporate renewable energy adoption is real and accelerating in places where policy, grid readiness, and market structures align. Yet the pace is not uniform, and large gaps persist across regions and industries. The report highlights pronounced growth paths in Brazil, Spain, and the United States, where corporate energy procurement from renewables is increasing markedly. In Brazil, the shift is dramatic: the share of clean energy in corporate consumption rose from 19% in 2020 to 51% in 2024—a swing of 32 percentage points. This expansion points to a combination of favorable policy signals, abundant hydro and other renewables, and a corporate demand environment that rewards cleaner energy sourcing.
Spain, meanwhile, has moved to the forefront in absolute terms, with nearly 60% of corporate energy consumption now sourced from renewables. This level places Spain among the most advanced economies in decarbonizing the corporate energy mix through renewables. The United States has achieved notable gains as well, achieving approximately 29% of its corporate energy sourced from clean sources. These country-level moves illustrate how national policy scaffolds, market maturity, and the availability of renewable capacity can translate into tangible shifts in corporate procurement patterns.
In contrast, China’s performance lags relative to its immense investment in renewable energy. While it remains a global leader in renewable energy investment, the share of renewables in Chinese corporate energy consumption rose by only about 7% over the same window. The discrepancy between investment leadership and corporate uptake signals a complex set of integration challenges, including grid-scale electrification, matching supply with demand, and the scalability of green power procurement for large industrial firms. This gap is particularly consequential given China’s enormous economic footprint and the central role its manufacturing and energy-intensive sectors play in global emissions.
The geographic story is not only one of country markets; it also underscores how regional energy ecosystems influence corporate choices. Several factors shape how quickly firms can shift to renewable power: grid reliability and capacity, the structure of electricity markets, the availability of off-take agreements or power purchase agreements (PPAs), and the regulatory clarity surrounding green procurement. The AI-driven analysis shows that where electricity grids are more robust, and where policy frameworks support long-term renewable contracts and transparent pricing, corporations are more likely to accelerate their transition to renewables. By contrast, in environments where grid bottlenecks persist or where policy signals are uncertain, the progress tends to be slower, even when investment in renewable generation is substantial.
Sectors that are aligned with decarbonization trajectories—the so-called “easier electrification” groups—are pulling ahead. Industries with direct access to the electricity grid and high potential for rapid electrification have made the fastest gains. Among these, information technology (IT), communications, and financial services stand out as the early adopters. The IT and communications sector, benefiting from digital modernization, has surged in renewable energy adoption, with increases that reflect both cheaper, cleaner power and a more mature capacity to integrate clean electricity into daily operations. Financial services have likewise expanded renewable procurement, leveraging their large electricity footprints, sophisticated energy management practices, and the ability to forecast energy demand with high precision. The report notes a clear uptick in these sectors, signaling that electrification, digital infrastructure, and grid connectivity can significantly streamline the transition to clean energy.
By contrast, several industry groups face more formidable barriers to rapid decarbonization. The so-called hard-to-abate sectors—fossil fuel production, heavy industry, aviation, and real estate—have shown only modest improvements in their share of renewable energy use. Real estate, for example, increased its use of renewables from 13% to 20% during the period examined, a notable improvement but still far from what would be needed to align with aggressive decarbonization targets. In the fossil fuels and materials sectors, progress is more muted: the combined renewable energy share rose only from 12% to 18%. These are sectors characterized by high energy intensity, specialized process heat requirements, and infrastructure that is often not well-suited to simple electrification. The slower pace in these areas reflects deeper structural and operational challenges that require more than just expanded renewable generation; they demand holistic transformations in production processes, supply chains, and industrial infrastructure.
Sectoral dynamics reveal both acceleration and friction. The AI-driven analysis enables granular measurement of how corporate emissions evolve across industries and geographies, identifying where sustainability strategies are succeeding and where they are not. The rapid progress in IT, communications, and financial services demonstrates that sectors with flexible operations, strong digital foundations, and the ability to electrify quickly can ride the renewable energy wave more effectively. In contrast, hard-to-abate sectors highlight the limits of current technology and capital intensity when it comes to decarbonizing at pace. The findings point to the need for targeted investments in electrification technologies, process innovations, and large-scale infrastructure to unlock deeper decarbonization in these difficult sectors.
Country-by-Country and Sectoral Context
The report’s country-by-country lens surfaces a mosaic of outcomes that, taken together, illuminate where the transition is most and least advanced. In Brazil, the notable leap—from 19% to 51% renewable energy in corporate consumption—illustrates how a combination of hydropower abundance, favorable market conditions for green electricity, and proactive corporate engagement can amplify decarbonization. Brazil’s experience demonstrates that the availability of renewable resources, when coupled with a permissive procurement environment and clear market signals, can drive sizable shifts in corporate energy sourcing within a relatively short horizon. This pattern is instructive for other nations rich in renewable potential, underscoring the importance of aligning policy frameworks with corporate incentives to unlock rapid uptake.
Spain’s leadership in absolute renewable energy share signals that mature markets with strong solar and wind resources—and a supportive policy context—can push corporate electrification to high levels. Near 60% renewables in corporate consumption indicates a comprehensive integration of green power across sectors, supported by an ecosystem that includes PPAs, green electricity tariffs, and a robust grid capable of handling variable renewable supply. For policymakers and business leaders, Spain’s trajectory reinforces the payoff of aligning grid reliability, market design, and sustainability targets. It also demonstrates that high levels of renewable procurement by corporates can be achieved even in economies that are not the largest energy producers, provided there is an enabling environment for clean energy procurement and an accessible set of off-take options.
The United States registers strong gains in corporate renewable energy use, reaching a credible 29% share. This progress reflects extensive corporate procurement activity and a relatively mature market for renewable power, reinforced by policy and regulatory mechanisms that encourage long-term clean energy contracts. While the US performance is meaningful, it also points to a broader question about the space for further growth as economies evolve and electrification intensifies. Continued improvements may hinge on expanding grid reliability in key regions, scaling up clean energy generation to meet rising electricity demand, and creating more favorable conditions for off-site PPAs and on-site generation where appropriate.
China’s comparatively modest increase—about 7%—in corporate renewable energy use during the period analyzed raises important questions about structural barriers, policy alignment, and grid integration challenges. Despite its leadership in renewable energy investment, the translation of capital expenditure into rapid corporate uptake remains uneven. The gap between investment leadership and corporate procurement signals the need for deeper coordination across policy domains, stronger grid interconnection, and mechanisms to unlock demand-side uptake in large industrial sectors. This divergence highlights a critical area for policymakers and industry watchers: investments in generation alone are not sufficient; aligned procurement frameworks, grid upgrades, and reliable market signals are essential to convert capacity into actual corporate use.
Within sectors, the “grid-connected” groups—IT, communications, and financial services—are leading the charge. The push toward electrification in these sectors runs parallel with their digital transformation and strong capability to manage and optimize electricity use. The evidence shows that the ability to integrate with modern grid infrastructure, leverage demand-side management, and deploy scalable clean-energy solutions is central to rapid decarbonization. The relatively swift acceleration in these areas offers a blueprint for other sectors seeking to accelerate their energy transition, illustrating how a combination of digitalization, energy management, and grid-ready procurement can unlock significant decarbonization potential.
The hard-to-abate sectors present a more stubborn challenge. Fossil fuel production, heavy industry, aviation, and real estate are not yet experiencing the same rate of change. The limited improvement in these sectors is not simply a matter of will but of fundamental technical and infrastructural hurdles. Electrifying process heat, decarbonizing materials, and replacing legacy industrial systems require innovations beyond grid-scale renewables, including advanced materials, carbon capture and storage, industrial electrification technologies, and large-scale infrastructure upgrades. The data underscore that decarbonizing these sectors demands a multi-pronged approach: capital-intensive investments, longer project horizons, cross-sector collaboration, and policy support that de-risks large-scale transformations.
Infrastructure: The Missing Link in Decarbonization
A recurring chorus in the dataset is that infrastructure remains the critical bottleneck to translating renewable capacity into real-world decarbonization. Even as corporate demand for renewables climbs in multiple sectors and geographies, the physical systems that enable clean power to reach end users—the transmission and distribution grids, interconnection capacity, and the reliability of grid operations—need substantial reinforcement. Andrés Olivares, Senior Manager of Product Research and Innovation at Clarity AI, makes a pointed observation: decarbonizing energy-intensive sectors is structurally more challenging, yet these sectors are essential for achieving net-zero emissions by 2050, given their outsized share of global emissions. The implication is clear: without large-scale investment in infrastructure and electrification technologies, the global ambition of a net-zero economy remains out of reach.
AI tools provide a powerful way to track emissions trends, map where solidarities of energy supply and demand are strongest, and identify where policy and investment can pay the most significant dividends. They help translate oceans of data into actionable insights, revealing which corners of the economy are responding to clean energy procurement and which are lagging behind. However, AI is not a substitute for the actual physical systems that must shift to deliver power where it is needed. The report emphasizes that while AI can illuminate bottlenecks and track progress, the core constraints still revolve around the real-world capacity and reliability of energy infrastructure. This distinction matters for corporate decision-making: AI-informed strategies should be paired with concrete investments in grids, storage, and flexible generation to realize the full potential of renewable power.
EU policy plays a notable role in this infrastructure narrative. The European Union’s proposed Grids Plan is cited as a concrete example of policy efforts designed to support widespread corporate decarbonization by strengthening grid capacity and cross-border transmission. Yet even with such policy initiatives, the report notes that electricity accounts for only a minority share of industrial energy use in Europe—roughly one-third—and in the United States around one-fifth. These figures illustrate the scale of the transition still required not only to expand renewables generation but also to shift the energy mix for the industrial sector as a whole. The combination of policy initiatives, grid upgrades, and strategic corporate action will be essential to close the gap between generation and consumption in the industrial economy.
The Role of AI in Sustainability Strategy
Clarity AI’s approach centers on analyzing large, real-time datasets to uncover patterns in how different sectors and geographies evolve their energy use and emissions profiles. The technology enables granular measurement of corporate emissions and illuminates where sustainability strategies are succeeding or stalling. This capability is especially valuable for large, diversified corporations with complex energy footprints and multi-regional operations. The AI-driven framework supports more precise budgeting for decarbonization efforts, helping executives allocate capital toward initiatives that yield the greatest emissions reductions and the fastest payback in terms of emissions avoided.
The insights generated by AI illuminate several practical pathways for accelerating decarbonization. First, real-time data integration helps companies monitor performance against targets with greater fidelity, enabling quicker course corrections when results lag behind expectations. Second, AI can identify sector-specific bottlenecks—such as slow uptake in hard-to-abate industries—and suggest targeted levers, including investments in grid-scale electrification, alternative fuels, or process innovations that can unlock deeper reductions. Third, AI makes it possible to compare cross-country and cross-sector performance in a consistent, standardized way, supporting benchmarking and the design of best-practice playbooks for energy procurement, renewable integration, and supply-chain electrification.
Nevertheless, the report also underscores a critical caution: AI alone cannot solve the decarbonization puzzle. The discourse around AI in sustainability should emphasize that data-driven insights must be paired with substantive physical infrastructure investments, policy clarity, and coordinated industry action. As Olivares notes, the global community is making progress, but the data show we are only halfway there. The statement underscores a dual imperative: generate more clean energy and simultaneously build the systems to use it effectively, particularly in the most energy-intensive sectors. The concluding message is pragmatic: maximize the benefits of AI by aligning data insights with concrete infrastructure and energy system upgrades, and adopt a holistic strategy that spans generation, distribution, and end-use electrification.
Policy, Grids, and the Infrastructure Roadmap
Policy frameworks and grid architecture are inextricably linked to the pace of corporate decarbonization. The Grids Plan and similar initiatives represent deliberate attempts to align policy with the operational realities of electrification and decarbonization. The plan seeks to bolster grid reliability, ease cross-border energy exchanges, and accelerate the deployment of clean energy across regions. It is a recognition that the transition cannot be achieved through renewable generation alone; it requires robust, flexible, and well-coordinated grid systems that can accommodate intermittency, interconnection, and the evolving energy demand profile of modern economies.
Despite the progress implied by such policy efforts, there is a stark reminder of the scale of the challenge. In Europe, electricity accounts for about one-third of industrial energy consumption, signaling substantial opportunities to shift energy use toward renewables and improve overall efficiency. In the United States, the share is around 20%, which also leaves ample room for growth. These figures underscore the magnitude of the task ahead and highlight the critical role that infrastructure plays in turning renewable capacity into real, measurable decarbonization outcomes. The policy-to-implementation gap is where corporate intelligence and AI-driven decision support can play a meaningful role by helping planners and executives identify where investments will unlock the most value, minimize risk, and accelerate the pace of adoption.
Corporate and Market Implications
For corporations, the signal from the AI-driven findings is clear: prioritize electrification and renewable procurement in sectors and regions where the grid and market structures support rapid integration, while developing longer-term strategies for hard-to-abate sectors that require more transformative solutions. The rapid gains in IT, communications, and financial services demonstrate that when a company can forecast, procure, and integrate renewable energy with strong digital controls, significant progress is achievable within short timeframes. This has implications for risk management, capital allocation, and supply chain resilience. Companies that lag in electrification and clean-energy procurement risk higher energy costs, emissions exposure, and reputational risk as stakeholders demand bolder climate action.
Investors also stand to benefit from these insights. By identifying which sectors and regions are successfully integrating renewables, investors can better align their portfolios with decarbonization outcomes and associated financial performance. The analysis can inform engagement strategies with portfolio companies, encouraging them to adopt targeted decarbonization programs, accelerate grid-ready electrification, and invest in infrastructure upgrades or PPAs that deliver measurable climate benefits. The emphasis on infrastructure investment also points to the importance of public-private partnerships, regulatory clarity, and long-horizon investment theses that recognize the timeframes required to retrofit heavy industry and long-lived assets.
Methodology, Data Scope, and Limitations
The Clarity AI study leverages data from 2020 through 2025, focusing on firms listed in the MSCI ACWI index and drawing on the top ten countries for renewable generation. This scope provides a robust view of corporate energy use across major economies and sectors, enabling a comparative analysis of progress and barriers. The approach benefits from real-time data processing and the ability to measure corporate emissions and energy use with a high degree of granularity. By analyzing patterns across industries and geographies, the study can highlight where effectiveness and efficiency gains are occurring—and where the next set of interventions is most needed.
However, the report also acknowledges limitations inherent in any data-driven assessment. Differences in national energy markets, regulatory regimes, and corporate accounting practices can introduce variances in how renewable energy use is measured and reported. The results reflect the period 2020–2025 and are contingent on the data inputs available for that window. As energy systems continue to evolve, ongoing updates and refinements will be necessary to maintain an accurate, actionable view of corporate decarbonization dynamics. The findings should thus be interpreted as a rigorous snapshot of a rapidly changing landscape, rather than a definitive forecast for every sector or country.
Future Outlook, Practical Recommendations, and Strategic Takeaways
Looking ahead, the path to deeper corporate decarbonization will require a combination of accelerated clean energy deployment, targeted electrification, and substantial infrastructure investments. For executives and policymakers, several strategic takeaways emerge:
- Prioritize grid-ready electrification in sectors with high electricity demand and strong interconnection potential, such as IT, telecoms, and financial services.
- Accelerate decarbonization efforts in hard-to-abate sectors by investing in advanced electrification technologies, process innovations, carbon capture and storage where appropriate, and scalable, cross-border logistical coordination.
- Strengthen the energy procurement framework to enable long-term, price-stable PPAs, green tariffs, and credible renewable sourcing, especially in markets where such mechanisms are underdeveloped.
- Invest in electricity grid upgrades, energy storage, and demand-side management to reduce intermittency risks and enable higher penetration of renewables in industrial energy supply.
- Leverage AI-enabled analytics to set evidence-based targets, track progress in near real time, and tailor policy and corporate actions to the specific dynamics of each sector and country.
Conclusion
The Clarity AI report underscores a clear but intricate truth: the transition to corporate renewable energy is underway and accelerating, yet it remains uneven across geographies and sectors. Brazil, Spain, and the United States illustrate how strong governance, market maturity, and abundant renewable resources can drive meaningful gains in corporate clean energy use. China’s experience reveals that investment leadership does not automatically translate into rapid corporate uptake without addressing infrastructure and market integration challenges. Across sectors, the fastest progress is observed in IT, communications, and financial services, while hard-to-abate sectors like fossil fuels, heavy industry, aviation, and real estate show slower improvement, highlighting the critical importance of robust infrastructure and policy support to unlock deeper decarbonization.
AI’s role in this journey is twofold: it brings visibility to data that was previously opaque and offers strategic guidance on where to focus investments and policy efforts. Yet AI cannot substitute the physical systems—the grids, transmission lines, storage, and electrification technologies—that must be built to carry renewable power to where it is needed most. The EU Grid Plan and similar policy initiatives reflect a growing recognition that decarbonization requires coordinated action across policy, industry, and infrastructure. The ongoing challenge is to translate new capacity into actual energy use in the industrial sector, a transformation that will depend on a sustained commitment to grid modernization, supportive regulatory environments, and bold corporate leadership.
As the global economy continues to advance toward a low-carbon future, the combination of data-driven insights, strategic investment, and targeted policy action will be essential to accelerating progress. The path forward is clear: generate more clean energy and deploy it where it matters, build the infrastructure to use it effectively, and align corporate strategies with a policy and market framework that rewards substantive emissions reductions. Only through this integrated approach can the world move toward a truly net-zero economy by 2050.