Is solar power going to take over the world? The past few years have seen a frankly astounding acceleration in the rate of its deployment, with total generation capacity doubling between 2022 and 2024 to supply a full 7 per cent of the world’s electricity. Just how high can that figure go?
The first six months of 2025 saw wind and solar together pass a historic milestone, generating more power than coal for the first time and making renewables the world’s leading source of electricity. The driving force behind this “crucial turning point” in the energy transition, as the UK-based think tank Ember described it, was the growth of solar. It accounted for 83 per cent of the total increase in the world’s electricity demand in 2025, Ember’s analysis indicates, and has been the largest source of new electricity globally for three years in a row.
The increase in solar and wind power outpaced global electricity demand growth in the first half of 2025. Solar alone met 83% of the rise, with many countries setting new records. Fossil fuels remained mostly flat, with a slight decline. Fossil generation fell in China and India, but grew in the EU and the US.
As the world’s energy needs increase and electricity makes up a growing share of final energy consumption, spectacular solar growth, alongside increased wind generation, met and exceeded all new demand. This led to renewables overtaking coal’s share in the global mix and prevented further increases in CO2 emissions from the power sector.
Solar and wind outpaced demand growth in the first half of 2025
Global electricity demand grew by 2.6% (+369 TWh) in the first half of 2025. This increase was more than met by increases in solar (+306 TWh, +31%) and wind (+97 TWh, +7.7%) generation, with solar alone covering 83% of the rise. Hydro fell significantly while bioenergy output dipped slightly, and nuclear rose modestly, while overall fossil generation fell marginally (-0.3%).
Solar saw record growth
Solar grew by a record 306 TWh (31%) in the first half of 2025. This increased solar’s share in the global electricity mix from 6.9% to 8.8%. China accounted for 55% of global solar generation growth, followed by the US (14%), the EU (12%), India (5.6%) and Brazil (3.2%), while the rest of the world contributed just 9%. Four countries generated over 25% of their electricity from solar, and at least 29 countries surpassed 10%, up from 22 countries in the same period last year and only 11 countries in H1-2021.
Renewables overtook coal
A strong rise in solar, and to a lesser extent wind, led to renewables overtaking coal generation for the first time on record in the first half of 2025. Renewables grew by 363 TWh (+7.7%) to reach 5,072 TWh, while coal generation fell by 31 TWh to 4,896 TWh. As a result, renewables’ share of global electricity rose to 34.3% (from 32.7%), while coal’s share fell to 33.1% (from 34.2%).
Coal fell in both China and India — temporarily in India, but more structurally in China
Global fossil fuel generation fell slightly in the first half of 2025, down 27 TWh from the same period last year. Among major economies, fossil fuel generation decreased in China and India, where clean generation outpaced demand growth. By contrast, in the US, clean sources did not keep pace with demand rise, so fossil generation increased. In the EU, both coal and gas inched up to offset lower wind, hydro and bioenergy output.
Power sector emissions plateaued
Despite global electricity demand rising by 2.6%, emissions fell slightly by 12 MtCO2 in the first half of 2025. Declines in China (-46 MtCO2) and India (-24 MtCO2) reflected clean generation growth outpacing demand. By contrast, emissions increased in the EU (+13 MtCO2) and the US (+33 MtCO2) compared with the same period last year.
