Renewables Surpass Global Electricity Demand Growth in Historic Energy Shift

Record growth in solar power generation, particularly in China and India, has driven clean energy sources to surpass global electricity demand growth in 2025 for the first time in modern history, according to a comprehensive analysis released by energy think tank Ember.

Clean power generation grew by 887 terawatt hours last year, exceeding the overall increase in global electricity demand of 849 terawatt hours. The report, which analyzed electricity data from 91 countries representing 93% of global demand, marks a pivotal shift in the global energy landscape.

Renewables, including solar, wind, hydropower, and other clean energy sources, now account for more than one-third of the world’s electricity mix, growing to 33.8% and generating 10,730 terawatt hours. This milestone comes as the world grapples with climate change driven by fossil fuel consumption and amid ongoing energy security concerns heightened by conflict in the Middle East.

“We’re coming from a period over the last few decades where new electricity demand growth meant growth in fossil generation,” said Nicolas Fulghum, Ember’s senior data analyst and lead author of the report. “We’re now moving into a world where that’s no longer the case.”

In another significant development, coal power saw its share of global electricity generation fall below one-third for the first time, dropping by 0.6% to 63 terawatt hours.

Solar power emerged as the standout performer, growing by 30% in 2025 and single-handedly meeting three-quarters of last year’s increase in electricity demand. Combined with wind power, these two renewable sources satisfied 99% of new global electricity needs. Solar also surpassed wind power globally for the first time and is on track to overtake nuclear power generation this year.

Meanwhile, fossil fuel generation essentially stagnated, decreasing by about 0.2% or 38 terawatt hours—one of only a handful of years this century without an increase.

The solar boom has been accompanied by significant growth in battery storage technology, with capacity increasing by 46% in 2025 as costs fell by 45%. Ember estimates that enough battery capacity was added last year to shift 14% of newly added solar generation from midday to other hours, addressing one of the key challenges of solar energy—its availability limited to daylight hours.

“Despite the accelerated growth and electricity demand that comes with added electric vehicles, heat pumps, and industrial sector electrification,” Fulghum explained, “clean power will be able to structurally meet that increase in demand going into the next few years, before then bending the curve and reducing the amount of fossil generation we’re using.”

China and India, historically major contributors to fossil fuel generation, both recorded declines in their fossil power output for the first time this century. China saw a 0.9% reduction (56 terawatt hours), while India’s fossil generation fell by 3.3% (also 56 terawatt hours).

China dominated global solar development, accounting for more than half of the world’s growth in both solar capacity and generation last year. The country also led the global increase in wind power, adding 138 terawatt hours. India experienced record increases in both solar and wind generation, along with strong hydropower output and lower-than-average demand growth.

The United States and Europe added 85 terawatt hours and 60 terawatt hours of solar capacity respectively, though both regions saw small increases in fossil fuel generation. The Trump administration’s policies have favored coal, oil, and gas production while reducing support for renewables, contrasting with Europe’s general downward trend in fossil generation.

Alexis Abramson, dean of the Columbia University Climate School, who was not involved in the study, highlighted the national security implications of the shift: “As we’re seeing the cost of oil be incredibly volatile right now because of the war, I think more and more people are looking to national security as a reason to think about how we electrify more and take advantage of additional solar and wind, which does not rely on other countries.”

She added, “We’ve really crossed this important threshold that clean energy now can meet rising demand economically and at the same time really help address national security concerns. The next challenge is turning that into a steady decline of fossil fuel use as well. So it’s a great step in the right direction.”

The findings represent a dramatic reversal of historical trends, where increased electricity demand typically meant increased fossil fuel consumption. Now, for the first time, the world appears to be breaking that connection, suggesting a potential turning point in the global energy transition.