Clarity AI: The Gaps in Corporate Renewable Energy Use
After the 55th Earth Day, Clarity AI delivers a stark update: the transition to corporate renewable energy is accelerating, but unevenly so.
Leveraging AI, Clarity AI has examined data from 2020 to 2025, drawing on MSCI ACWI-listed firms in the top ten countries for renewable generation.
The findings reveal a complex pattern of progress – marked growth in some economies and sectors and persistent inertia in others.
The AI-driven report shows strong advances in countries like Brazil, Spain and the US, where corporate clean energy use is rising.
Brazil, for instance, has more than doubled its clean energy uptake, going from 19% to 51% between 2020 and 2024 – a 32 percentage point leap.
Meanwhile, Spain now leads in absolute terms, with nearly 60% of its corporate energy consumption sourced from renewables.
US firms have also made smaller gains, now sourcing 29% of their energy from clean sources.
In contrast, China's performance lags despite being the global leader in renewable energy investment.
Chinese corporations increased their renewable energy share by just 7% in the same period. The gap is especially concerning given China’s large economic footprint and the central role its industries play in global emissions.
These discrepancies are not only geographic, the AI insights from Clarity also show that different sectors are progressing at very different speeds.
Sectors wired for decarbonisation lead the way
Across industries, those most closely connected to the electricity grid – namely IT, communications and financial services – are embracing renewables the fastest.
These sectors are more easily electrified and better positioned to integrate with clean power systems.
Financial services have lifted their renewable energy use from 32% to 53% since 2020.
The IT and communications sector has followed suit, jumping from 23% to 45%. These surges demonstrate how access to digital infrastructure and grid connectivity can streamline the transition.
AI enables deeper insight into these shifts.
By analysing vast datasets in real time, Clarity AI identifies patterns in how different sectors evolve.
The technology allows for granular measurement of corporate emissions and highlights where sustainability strategy is succeeding – and where it is not.
Still, not all industries can pivot as easily.
The so-called ‘hard-to-abate’ sectors – fossil fuel production, heavy industry, aviation and real estate – are making only marginal improvements. Real estate, for example, increased its renewable energy use by just 7%, from 13% to 20%.
The fossil fuels and materials sectors sit at the bottom, moving from 12% to 18%.
These industries face unique technological and infrastructure barriers, many of which resist simple electrification.
AI is helping identify these bottlenecks, but overcoming them will require massive investment and engineering innovation.
Infrastructure still the missing link
The core issue is infrastructure. Andrés Olivares, Senior Manager of Product Research and Innovation at Clarity AI, explains: “These industries are structurally more challenging to decarbonise, yet are critical for achieving net zero emissions by 2050, as they account for 75% of global emissions.”
“Without substantial investment in infrastructure and electrification technologies, the global ambition of a net zero economy will remain out of reach.”
AI tools like those used by Clarity help track emissions trends and pinpoint areas needing support, but cannot substitute for the physical systems needed to carry renewable power to where it is needed most.
Additionally, the European Union’s proposed Grids Plan is one example of efforts to support widespread corporate decarbonisation.
Yet gaps remain. Electricity only makes up one-third of industrial energy consumption in Europe and 20% in the US. This underscores the scale of the transition still required.
AI's integration into sustainability strategies offers an important lever.
It makes invisible data visible and supports strategic decision-making with evidence-based insights.
But, as Olivares points out, AI alone cannot solve the problem.
“As a global community, we’re progressing, but the data shows we’re only halfway there,” Andrés explains.
“Generating more clean energy isn't enough if we want to achieve the necessary emissions reductions.
“We need to develop the infrastructure to use it effectively, especially in the most energy-intensive sectors.
“Powering the Earth differently is not enough. We must also build it to run differently.”
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