Renewables Surpass Coal in Global Electricity Generation for First Time
In a significant milestone for the renewable energy sector, renewables have officially outpaced coal in global electricity generation during the first half of 2025, driven largely by a remarkable surge in solar power. This development aligns with forecasts made by the International Energy Agency (IEA) over the past year and a half, as revealed in a recent analysis by the global energy think tank Ember.
The first six months of 2025 proved to be a remarkable period for renewable energy, particularly for solar, which Ember described as experiencing “spectacular” growth. According to their analysis, which utilises monthly electricity data from 88 countries accounting for 93 per cent of global electricity demand, solar energy production increased by 306 terawatt-hours (TWh), marking a 31 per cent rise compared to the same timeframe last year. This represents the fastest absolute growth on record for solar energy.
Solar Power’s Rising Dominance
If this trend continues, Ember anticipates that solar will maintain its status as the fastest-growing electricity source for the 21st consecutive year, outpacing wind energy growth for the fourth consecutive year in absolute terms. Solar’s contribution to global electricity generation rose to 8.8 per cent in the first half of the year, a significant increase from 3.8 per cent in 2021 and 6.9 per cent in 2024.
China played a pivotal role in this growth, accounting for 55 per cent of the global increase in solar generation during the first half of the year. The United States followed with 14 per cent, while the European Union contributed 12 per cent. India and Brazil added 5.6 per cent and 3.2 per cent, respectively, with the remaining countries collectively contributing 9 per cent.
Wind Energy’s Slower Growth
While wind energy still generates more electricity than solar, its growth has been slower in the first half of 2025, suggesting that solar may soon surpass wind generation. Wind energy production increased by only 7.7 per cent, a decline from the 9.1 per cent growth recorded in the same period of 2024. Despite this, wind’s share of the global electricity mix rose to 9.2 per cent from 8.8 per cent.
The combined growth of solar and wind energy outstripped the increase in global electricity demand, which rose by 369 TWh in the first half of 2025. This demand was more than met by the 403 TWh increase in solar and wind generation, with solar alone accounting for 83 per cent of the global demand increase.
Renewables Overtake Coal
This remarkable growth in renewables led to them surpassing coal in the global electricity mix for the first time, with renewables rising by 363 TWh to reach 5,072 TWh in the first half of 2025. Consequently, the share of renewables in the global electricity mix increased to 34.3 per cent, up from 32.7 per cent in the same period of 2024. In contrast, coal generation experienced a decline of 31 TWh, falling to 4,896 TWh, which reduced its share from 34.2 per cent to 33.1 per cent.
Notably, fossil fuel generation saw a slight decrease of 0.3 per cent, equating to a drop of 27 TWh, which Ember described as “modest but significant.” This decline was particularly evident in China and India, while fossil fuel generation increased in the United States and the European Union.
Impact on CO2 Emissions
As a result of these changes, global CO2 emissions from the power sector stabilised, decreasing by 12 megatonnes of CO2 (MtCO2), or 0.2 per cent, to 6,963 MtCO2 in the first half of 2025. Malgorzata Wiatros-Motyka, a senior electricity analyst at Ember, remarked, “We are seeing the first signs of a crucial turning point.”
Wiatros-Motyka added, “Solar and wind are now growing fast enough to meet the world’s growing appetite for electricity. This marks the beginning of a shift where clean power is keeping pace with demand growth. As costs of technologies continue to fall, now is the perfect moment to embrace the economic, social, and health benefits that come with increased solar, wind, and batteries.”
