Global analysis

In the first half of 2025, global solar and wind generation grew sufficiently to meet and exceed total electricity demand growth, leading to renewables overtaking coal in the global electricity mix for the first time. Solar generation saw record absolute growth, while total fossil fuel generation declined slightly. Consequently, global CO2 emissions from the power sector fell marginally by 0.2%, although results varied by region, with emissions decreasing in China and India but increasing in the US and EU.

• Solar and wind power generation grew faster than global electricity demand in the first half of 2025. Global demand rose by 369 TWh (+2.6%), while solar alone met 83% of this increase. Solar's share of global electricity generation reached 8.8%, up from 6.9% in the first half of 2024.
• Solar generation experienced its fastest absolute growth on record in H1-2025, increasing by 306 TWh (+31%). Solar capacity additions reached a record 380 GW in the first six months of 2025, a 64% increase over the same period in the previous year, with China accounting for 67% of these additions.
• For the first time on record, renewables overtook coal in the global electricity mix. Renewables rose by 363 TWh (+7.7%) to a 34.3% share, while coal fell by 31 TWh (-0.6%) to a 33.1% share. Total fossil fuel generation declined by 27 TWh (-0.3%).
• Global CO2 emissions from the power sector decreased marginally by 12 MtCO2 (-0.2%) to 6,963 MtCO2 in H1-2025. This trend was not uniform: emissions fell in China (-1.7%) and India (-3.6%), but rose in the EU (+4.8%) and the US (+4.3%).
• Other low-carbon sources showed mixed results: nuclear generation rose by 33 TWh (+2.5%), while hydro generation decreased by 42 TWh (-2%), falling to a 13.9% share of the global mix due to droughts in regions including the EU, China, Russia, Türkiye, and Brazil.

APA

Ember (2025). Global analysis. https://ember-energy.org/chapter/global-analysis/

Chicago

Ember. Global analysis. 2025. https://ember-energy.org/chapter/global-analysis/.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |author=Ember |title=Global analysis |date=7 October 2025 |url=https://ember-energy.org/chapter/global-analysis/ |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{ember2025global, author = {{Ember}}, title = {{Global analysis}}, institution = {Ember}, year = {2025}, month = oct, url = {https://ember-energy.org/chapter/global-analysis/}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }