In the first half of this year, renewable energies surpassed coal-fired power generation for the first time. According to the report »Global Electricity Mid-Year Insights 2025« by the British think tank Ember, this is mainly due to a sharp increase in solar power production. The global increase in solar and wind energy production exceeded global growth in electricity demand in the first six months of 2025. Solar energy alone accounted for 83 per cent of this increase, with many countries setting new records.
Renewable energies rose by 363 TWh (+7.7 per cent) to 5,072 TWh, while coal-fired power generation fell by 31 TWh to 4,896 TWh. As a result, the share of renewable energy in global electricity generation rose from 32.7 to 34.3 per cent, while the share of coal fell from 34.2 to 33.1 per cent. The share of fossil fuels, on the other hand, remained largely unchanged. According to Ember, electricity generation from fossil fuels declined in China and India, but increased in the EU and the US.
»We are seeing the first signs of a crucial turning point. Solar and wind are now growing fast enough to meet the world’s growing appetite for electricity. This marks the beginning of a shift where clean power is keeping pace with demand growth. As costs of technologies continue to fall, now is the perfect moment to embrace the economic, social and health benefits that come with increased solar, wind and batteries,« said Małgorzata Wiatros-Motyka, Senior Electricity Analyst at Ember.
© PHOTON
