Solar Power Overtakes Coal Worldwide for First Time

The world just crossed a finish line decades in the making. For the first time ever, renewable energy sources generated more electricity than coal in 2025, marking a turning point in the global fight against climate change.

Solar power drove this historic shift with a jaw-dropping 30% surge last year. That translated to 636 additional terawatt hours of clean electricity, the biggest single-year jump on record.

Renewables now supply almost 34% of the world's electricity, up from 32% the year before. Wind and solar combined delivered 10,730 terawatt hours while coal provided 33%, actually dropping by half a percent as cleaner alternatives took over.

The numbers tell an even more exciting story about what comes next. Clean energy grew so fast in 2025 that it absorbed every bit of new electricity demand worldwide, meaning not a single additional fossil fuel plant was needed.

Global electricity use climbed 2.8% last year as expected. But for the first time, solar and wind covered that entire increase while fossil fuel generation actually fell by 0.2%.

The Ripple Effect

China and India represent the biggest surprise in this data. These two countries have historically driven most of the world's growth in coal power, but both saw their fossil fuel generation decline in 2025.

That shift matters because it shows developing economies can power their growth without burning more coal. As solar costs keep dropping and installation speeds up, even energy-hungry nations are choosing renewables over fossil fuels.

Aditya Lolla, managing director at Ember, the UK think tank behind the report, captured the significance perfectly. "We have firmly entered the era of clean growth," he said. "Clean energy is now scaling fast enough to absorb rising global electricity demand, keeping fossil generation flat before its inevitable decline."

The transition scientists have called essential for meeting climate targets is actually happening. Coal power, which emits roughly double the carbon dioxide of natural gas, is losing ground not through mandates alone but because solar has become faster to build and cheaper to run.

This milestone proves the world can meet its growing appetite for electricity while cutting emissions at the same time.