QAZAQ GREEN.  Global energy think tank Ember has identified a historic turning point: in 2025, renewable energy sources overtook coal in global electricity generation for the first time.

According to its annual report, renewables accounted for 33.8% of global electricity production, while coal’s share fell to 33%. This marks the first such shift in over a century of modern power system history.

The transition was driven primarily by rapid growth in solar power. In 2025, solar generation increased by a record 636 TWh, up 30%, covering approximately 75% of the global increase in electricity demand. Solar growth was 18 times higher than that of gas, the only fossil fuel to register a modest increase.

Major economies also showed a structural shift. China and India both recorded declines in fossil fuel generation for the first time this century. In China, output fell by 0.9% despite continued economic growth, as renewable capacity additions outpaced demand. In India, fossil generation declined by 3.3%, supported by record solar expansion, with the country installing more solar capacity than the United States for the first time.

Advances in energy storage further accelerated the transition. Battery costs dropped by 45% in 2025, enabling solar energy to be used beyond daylight hours. In countries such as Australia and Chile, more than 50% of new solar generation is already being shifted to evening periods, reducing price volatility and reliance on gas.

Ember concludes that the world has entered a phase where clean energy is scaling fast enough to meet rising demand, signaling that global fossil fuel generation has reached a plateau and is set to decline.