-- The expansion in solar energy helped halt the growth of fossil-fuel power for the first time in five years, marking a structural turning point in the global energy system as renewables overtook coal, Ember said in a report on Tuesday.
Ember said in its Global Electricity Review 2026 that renewable energy sources generated an additional 887 terawatt-hours of electricity in 2025, outpacing demand growth of 849 TWh.
The expansion dwarfed fossil fuel generation, which fell by 38 TWh for the first time since 2020, outside of an economic crisis.
Ember said solar power accounted for three-quarters of the increase in global electricity demand, with output rising by a record 636 TWh, or 30% year-on-year, to 2.8 TWh. Together with wind energy, solar energy met 99% of new demand, Ember said.
The energy think tank also said renewables overtook coal for the first time in the modern era. Renewable energy sources, including solar, wind, and hydropower, made up 33.8% of global electricity generation last year, surpassing coal's 33% share.
"Clean energy is now scaling fast enough to absorb rising global electricity demand," said Aditya Lolla, managing director at Ember, adding that the shift marks the beginning of a structural decline in fossil fuel use in the power sector.
China and India, the world's largest and third-largest fossil power generators, respectively, were key to the global shift. The two countries recorded declines in fossil generation in 2025, driven by record additions of solar and other renewables that outpaced demand growth.
China accounted for more than half of global solar expansion, pushing the share of wind and solar in its power mix to 22%, above the OECD average.
India also saw renewable generation growth double its previous record and installed more solar capacity than the US for the first time, according to Ember.
Meanwhile, the growth of solar is being supported by battery storage, which extends the availability of renewable energy beyond daylight hours. Battery costs fell for a second consecutive year, dropping 45% in 2025 after a 20% decline in 2024, while global deployment rose 46% to about 250 gigawatt-hours.
Ember said this enabled about 14% of new solar generation to be shifted from midday to other times of the day, improving grid flexibility and reducing reliance on fossil fuels during peak demand periods.
Countries such as Chile and Australia are leading in battery adoption, installing enough storage to shift more than half of their new solar output, resulting in lower power prices and reduced energy waste.
However, the expansion in renewables comes amid heightened volatility in global fossil fuel markets following the outbreak of the Middle East conflict. Ember said the events have exposed the risks of dependence on imported fossil fuels and underscored the economic and energy security benefits of domestic renewable power.