Renewables Overtake Coal as World's Largest Source of Electricity

Renewables just overtook coal as the world's largest source of electricity– a massive step forward for a world currently powered by fossil fuels.

According to a new study from global energy think tank Ember, their data showed that renewables produced more energy than coal, the number one electricity source. Coal has held this position for over 50 years, making the feat even more incredible.

The report included data from 88 countries representing 93% of the global electricity demand, specifically focusing on the world's top four emitters of greenhouse gases, which account for around 63% of the world's carbon dioxide emissions.

In total, solar power met 83% of the rise in electricity demand, while wind met 26% of the demand. In total, solar and wind alone accounted for 109% of the rise in global energy demand– they were able to outpace the growth in energy demand, creating a surplus of electricity. Solar power alone grew by 31% (64% faster than last year), while wind grew by 7.7%. Meanwhile, coal-based energy generation actually fell by 0.6% because of the surplus created by solar and wind.

However, the data also noted one key statistic: India and China were the two countries fueling the demand for renewables, while the United States and European Union used more fossil fuels than last year.

India and China have taken significant steps forward in the fight against climate change in recent years. China is the single-largest emitter of carbon dioxide, accounting for around one-third of the world's total, but they have invested billions of dollars into countless renewable energy projects over the last decade. These range from solar and wind generation to the development of experimental technologies like gravity batteries.

Through the first half of 2025, Ember found that China accounted for 55% of global solar generation growth– 41% more than the next solar leader, the US. Because of this, China was able to outpace their growing electricity demand, allowing them to decrease fossil fuel usage by 2%.

India also added major solar and wind projects, accounting for all of their growth in electricity demand. In fact, India's clean energy growth was more than three times its growth in electricity demand, representing an incredible change from what was an oil-dependent nation just a few years ago. This also allowed them to cut back on fossil fuel usage, requiring less oil and gas and burning less fossil fuels.

Meanwhile, the United States and Europe increased fossil fuel usage, for different reasons. US President Trump continues to believe that climate change is a hoax, and his anti-sustainability policies have driven the US to drill more oil and restrict the expansion of renewable energy. In the first half of 2025, coal generation was forced to dramatically increase to make up for a decrease in gas production and their lack of renewable energy growth.

Europe, on the other hand, experienced unfavorable weather conditions for the majority of the first half of 2025, forcing them to increase fossil fuel usage to make up for the remaining demand that was not accounted for by wind, nuclear, and bioenergy.

Nevertheless, India and China aren't the only ones making progress in the renewable industry– Hungary, Greece, the Netherlands, Spain, Pakistan, Australia, and Germany all generated more than 20% of their energy from solar in the first half of 2025.

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