Ember reports solar growth halts fossil electricity growth globally in 2025

• 2 hours ago (2026-04-22)
• David Flin

Renewables 822 Solar 341

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According to Ember ’s seventh annual Global Electricity Review, the rise of zero emission electricity generation exceeded the growth in electricity demand, causing a slight downturn in fossil generation.

Record solar growth was the main driver. Global solar generation rose by 636 TWh in 2025, a 30 per cent increase on output in 2024. Since 2015, solar output has grown more than tenfold. Global solar generation is now the same size as the total electricity demand of the EU.

China led the global solar surge, accounting for more than half of the increase in both solar capacity and solar generation in 2025.

Solar alone met 75 per cent of the increase in clean power growth. Solar and wind together met 99 per cent of the total. In total, clean energy rose by 887 TWh, slightly exceeding demand growth of 849 TWh. As a result, fossil generation fell by 0.2 per cent, making 2025 only the fifth year this century without growth in fossil electricity.