Episode Details

Record growth in solar, especially in China and India, was a driving factor for clean energy sources surpassing the world’s strong demand for electricity in 2025, according to a new global power analysis. Clean power generation grew 887 terawatt hours last year, exceeding overall global electricity demand growth of 849 terawatt hours, according to a report by energy think tank Ember. Ember analyzes electricity data from 215 countries, and studied 2025 data for 91 countries, which the firm says represents 93% of global demand. Overall, the share of renewables—including solar, wind, hydropower, and other clean energies—hit more than one-third of the world's electricity mix for the first time in modern history last year, growing 33.8% to 10,730 terawatt hours. It’s promising news for a world embattled by climate change that’s driven by the burning of fossil fuels such as coal, oil, and gas to meet growing needs from economic growth, rising populations, and electrification. The analysis is also especially timely amid a global energy crisis exacerbated by the U.S. war in Iran. In another historical first, coal power saw its share fall below one-third of global generation, dropping 0.6% to 63 terawatt hours. “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 senior data analyst and lead author of the report. “We’re now moving into a world where that’s no longer the case.” Solar, which grew 30% in 2025, alone met three-quarters of last year's net rise in electricity demand—and combined with wind power generation, met 99% of it. Though solar overtook wind power globally for the first time last year, and gained on nuclear power, Ember expects the two to overtake nuclear this year. Meanwhile, fossil fuel generation essentially halted, and fell about 0.2% in 2025, or 38 terawatt hours—making last year one of only a handful of years without a rise this century. This article was provided by The Associated Press.