Renewables Overtake Coal in Global Electricity for the First Time: What the 2026 Data Shows

Global electricity generation crossed a symbolic threshold in the data covering 2025: renewable energy sources — solar, wind, hydro and other clean power — supplied 33.8% of the world's electricity, edging past coal's 33.0% share for the first time in the modern era. The milestone, detailed in the Global Electricity Review 2026, reflects a year of record solar installation, a sharp drop in battery storage costs, and — notably — the first year without overall growth in fossil fuel generation since 2020.

Solar power was the single biggest driver of the shift. Global solar generation grew by a record 636 terawatt-hours (TWh) — a 30% increase — bringing total solar output to 2,778 TWh. Solar alone met an estimated 75% of the world's net increase in electricity demand during the year, meaning most of the additional electricity the world needed was supplied by new solar capacity rather than fossil fuels.

Perhaps the most significant structural shift is that clean power generation (887 TWh of growth) grew faster than global electricity demand itself (849 TWh of growth). This is an important marker in the energy transition: when clean generation growth exceeds demand growth, existing fossil fuel plants are displaced rather than simply supplemented, which is what allowed fossil generation to actually decline slightly rather than merely growing more slowly.

Grid-scale battery storage — the technology that allows solar power generated during the day to be used after sunset — saw deployment grow 46% in 2025, reaching an estimated 250 gigawatt-hours (GWh) globally. This growth was underpinned by a 45% drop in battery costs, following a 20% decline the year before. Grid-level storage is now estimated to be capable of shifting around 14% of new solar generation from midday hours to other times of day, directly addressing one of solar power's longest-standing limitations — that it only generates electricity when the sun is out.

Global fossil fuel generation declined by 38 TWh (-0.2%) — a small decrease, but notable as the first year without growth in fossil generation since 2020. Within fossil fuels, gas was the only source that still grew, albeit marginally, while coal and oil-fired generation both declined.

Electricity generation is the largest single source of global greenhouse gas emissions, so the composition of the world's power mix has an outsized effect on overall climate trajectories. Renewables overtaking coal — even by a narrow margin — signals that the long-anticipated peak in global fossil generation may be arriving. It does not mean fossil fuels are close to disappearing: coal, oil and gas combined still supply roughly two-thirds of global electricity. But the combination of record solar additions, rapidly cheaper battery storage, and slowing fossil growth in the world's two largest developing economies (China and India) suggests the trend is structural rather than a one-year anomaly.

Coal has been a dominant source of global electricity since industrialization, and as recently as the early 2010s supplied close to 40% of the world's power. The shift documented in the 2025 data is the product of over a decade of falling solar and battery costs, supportive policy in major markets, and increasingly competitive economics — in many regions, building new solar and storage capacity is now cheaper than continuing to operate existing coal plants.

Did renewables really overtake coal in global electricity generation?

Yes — according to 2025 data released in the Global Electricity Review 2026, renewables supplied 33.8% of global electricity compared to coal's 33.0%, a first in the modern era.

Does this mean fossil fuels are being phased out quickly?

Not immediately. Fossil fuels — coal, oil and gas combined — still supply roughly two-thirds of the world's electricity. The 2025 data shows a slowing and slight reversal of fossil growth, not a rapid phase-out.

What role did battery storage play?

Battery storage deployment grew 46% as costs fell 45%, allowing more solar power generated during the day to be used later, which helps address one of solar energy's core limitations.

Which countries drove the shift?

China and India were pivotal: China saw its first decline in fossil generation since 2015, and India installed more new solar capacity than the United States for the first time.

Is this trend expected to continue?

The scale of solar and battery cost declines, combined with two consecutive years of falling battery costs and record solar installation, suggests the underlying trend is structural, though year-to-year figures can vary with weather, demand growth and policy changes.

The 2025 data marks a genuine milestone in the global energy transition: renewables edging past coal in the world's electricity mix for the first time, driven by record solar growth and a rapidly maturing battery storage industry. While fossil fuels remain the largest overall source of global electricity, the combination of slowing fossil growth in China and record solar deployment in India suggests the shift reflects a structural change in the global power mix rather than a single unusual year.