Wind and solar farms generated more electricity than coal plants during the first half of 2025, marking the first time renewable energy surpassed coal globally. Climate research organization Ember reported that renewables outpaced worldwide electricity demand growth, triggering small declines in coal and gas consumption.
Solar power generation jumped nearly one-third compared to the same 2024 period, meeting 83% of global electricity demand increases while wind grew just over 7%. Małgorzata Wiatros-Motyka, senior electricity analyst at Ember and report author, described the milestone as a crucial turning point.
Solar and wind now grow fast enough to satisfy rising electricity demand worldwide. This marks the beginning of clean power keeping pace with demand growth rather than merely supplementing fossil fuel generation.
China and India drove the renewable surge while the United States and Europe relied more heavily on fossil fuels. China added more renewable capacity than the rest of the world combined, leading to a 2% drop in fossil fuel use during the first six months compared to 2024. India grew renewable energy more than three times its electricity demand, causing coal consumption to fall 3.1% and gas use to plummet 34%.
The International Energy Agency projects global renewable capacity could more than double by decade’s end, with solar power accounting for 80% of new clean energy installations. IEA Executive Director Fatih Birol noted that solar photovoltaic technology will dominate in the coming years, though wind, hydropower, bioenergy, and geothermal will all also contribute.
China remains the world’s largest growth market for renewables with India emerging as second-largest through 2030.
Solar deployment will surge in economies including Saudi Arabia, Pakistan, and several Southeast Asian countries beyond established markets. These emerging markets benefit from dramatic cost reductions that have made solar installations economically competitive without subsidies in many regions. Policy support will also accelerate deployment significantly.
American electricity demand outpaced its growing renewable sector during the first half, leading to a 17% increase in coal generation. The United States presents a concerning counterexample where fossil fuel consumption rises despite renewable capacity additions.
European Union demand showed modest growth compared to last year, but weather-related wind and hydropower slumps meant fast-rising solar couldn’t prevent gas and coal generation from increasing 14% and 1.1% respectively.
These divergent regional patterns reveal that renewable capacity additions alone don’t guarantee fossil fuel displacement. Demand growth rates, weather conditions, and policy frameworks all influence whether clean energy will replace or merely supplement fossil fuels.
China and India demonstrate that aggressive renewable deployment combined with manageable demand growth can reduce fossil fuel consumption, while American and European experiences show that inadequate renewable scaling or unfavorable conditions can reverse progress.
The clean energy milestone represents genuine progress toward decarbonizing global electricity systems, though continued expansion remains essential. The odds of this turning point leading to sustained fossil fuel declines hinges on maintaining renewable growth rates that consistently exceed electricity demand increases across all major economies.
Entities like PowerBank Corporation (NASDAQ: SUUN) (Cboe CA: SUNN) (FRA: 103) have an opportunity to leverage the growing adoption of renewables around the world to reach even more markets with their energy storage solutions.
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