Solar Power Met 75% of Global Electricity Growth in 2025

The world just crossed a historic threshold in the fight against climate change, and you might have missed it.

Solar energy met three quarters of all new electricity demand in 2025, helping push fossil fuel power generation down for the first time since 2020. Combined with wind, clean energy accounted for 99% of electricity growth while coal, oil, and gas actually produced slightly less power than the year before.

The shift happened in surprising places. Even China and India, the world's largest coal users, saw their fossil fuel electricity drop last year thanks to massive solar installations. Solar capacity jumped 30% globally, reaching a record 2,778 terawatt hours.

The boom means renewables have now overtaken coal as the main electricity source in every region except Asia. Africa crossed that milestone in 2025, joining Europe, the Americas, and Oceania in the clean energy majority.

Growth will slow slightly in 2026 due to policy changes in China and the US, energy analysts predict. China ended fixed pricing for renewable power and canceled tax breaks on solar exports, while American tariffs are pushing manufacturers elsewhere.

But the pause appears temporary. Both major energy research groups expect solar additions to accelerate again by 2027, pushed by falling costs and growing energy security concerns.

The Ripple Effect

The Middle East crisis is unexpectedly accelerating the clean energy transition worldwide. South Korea announced it will hit its 100 gigawatt renewable target early and double its renewable share from 10% to 20% by 2030. The UK reaffirmed its clean power goals, while Europe said the crisis proves the need to electrify and leave fossil fuels behind.

Even in the US, where President Trump opposes renewables, wind and solar met 75% of electricity demand growth in 2025. The momentum appears stronger than any single policy shift.

The next challenge is storage. Batteries are growing fast, with installations up 46% and costs down 45% in 2025, but capacity still only matches about 14% of new solar generation. China leads here too, adding enough batteries to store 76% of its new solar capacity.

As electricity demand grows twice as fast as overall energy use, driven by electric vehicles, heat pumps, and industry, the grid needs batteries to move solar power from daytime to anytime.

The clean energy transition isn't coming anymore—it's here, reshaping the global power system one solar panel at a time.