Solar and Wind Power Account for 99% of 2025 Electricity Growth, Coal Drops Below One‑Third

Context In 2025 the world added 849 terawatt‑hours (TWh) of electricity, a 2.8 % rise over the previous year. A new analysis from the Ember think‑tank shows that renewable sources, not fossil fuels, powered almost the entire expansion.

Key Facts - Solar output grew by 636 TWh, a 30 % jump from 2024 and enough electricity to exceed the total LNG shipped through the Strait of Hormuz in a year. That increase alone covered 75 % of the global electricity growth. - Wind generation added 205 TWh, representing 8.2 % of the total increase. - Combined, solar and wind contributed 99 % of the net rise in electricity demand. - Coal generation fell by 63 TWh (0.6 %), bringing coal’s share of worldwide electricity to just under 33 %, the lowest share ever recorded. - Gas output rose modestly by 36 TWh, while nuclear reached a record 2,812 TWh thanks to new reactors in China, France and Japan. - Installed solar capacity expanded by a record 647 gigawatts (GW), the fourth straight year that solar led absolute capacity additions. - Global emissions per kilowatt‑hour dropped to 458 grams of CO₂‑equivalent, 2.7 % lower than 2024 and 16 % lower than in 2005.

What It Means The data indicate a structural shift: renewable growth now drives electricity demand rather than economic downturns or temporary policy changes. Without the surge in solar and wind since 2000, fossil‑based generation would have been 30 % higher and emissions 28 % higher in 2025, adding roughly 4.1 billion tonnes of CO₂‑equivalents annually. The decline in coal’s share, especially in China and India where fossil generation fell by 56 TWh and 52 TWh respectively, suggests that the clean‑energy transition is gaining traction in the world’s largest electricity markets.

Looking ahead, the pace of solar and wind deployment, along with falling battery‑storage costs, will determine whether renewables can sustain growth and further erode coal’s role in the global mix.