Solar growth drives global renewables to overtake coal power in 2025, report shows

Renewable sources generated more electricity than coal globally last year for the first time, driven by record growth in the use of solar power, a report by UK think tank Ember showed on Tuesday.

Most scientists regard curbing coal power generation, which emits around double the amount of carbon dioxide as gas generation, as essential to meeting global climate targets.

"We have firmly entered the era of clean growth, " said Aditya Lolla, Embers managing director. "Clean energy is now scaling fast enough to absorb rising global electricity demand, keeping fossil generation flat before its inevitable decline."

Renewables, such as wind and solar, supplied 10,730 terawatt hours of electricity last year, making up almost 34 percent of total electricity supply globally, up from 32 percent in 2024, Ember's Global Electricity Review said.

China and India, historically the largest contributors to the global rise in fossil power, both recorded a fall in fossil generation in 2025.

Globally coal-fired power generation fell 0.6 percent to provide 33 percent of global electricity.

Total fossil fuel power generation fell by 0.2 percent.

The fastest growth was in the solar sector which increased by a record 636 TWh, or 30 percent.

The record solar increase meant clean electricity growth was large enough to meet all additional electricity demand globally in 2025.

Total global electricity demand grew by 2.8 percent or 849 TWh in 2025.

Reuters