Renewable Energy Surpasses Coal for the First Time in History

Metaverse Planet October 8, 2025Last Updated: October 8, 2025

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According to data from the international energy think tank Ember, the amount of electricity generated from renewable sources surpassed the electricity produced from coal for the first time in the first half of 2025.

During this period, production from solar and wind energy exceeded electricity demand. This development led to a decrease in coal and natural gas production compared to the same period last year.

Małgorzata Wiatros-Motyka, a senior electricity analyst at Ember, commented on the matter, stating, “We are seeing the first signs of a critical turning point. Solar and wind power are now growing fast enough to meet the world’s rising electricity demand. This marks the beginning of a shift where clean energy is keeping pace with demand growth.”

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Solar Energy Leads the Growth

In the first half of 2025, global electricity demand increased by 2.6%. Solar energy alone met 83% of this increase; solar generation grew by 306 TWh, a 31% year-on-year increase. Along with the steady growth in wind energy, renewable sources were able to both meet the rising demand and begin phasing out fossil fuels. Production from coal decreased by 0.6%, natural gas by 0.2%, and total electricity generation from fossil fuels fell by 0.3%. As a result, the global electricity sector’s carbon emissions declined by 0.2%.

In the first half of the year, the share of solar energy in global electricity production was 8.8%, while wind energy‘s share was 9.2%, and hydropower‘s was 13.9%. The share of other renewable sources was calculated at 2.3%. During this period, renewable energy sources supplied 34.2% of the world’s electricity generation. In the same period, the share of coal in electricity production was 33.1%. The share of natural gas was 20.7%, and nuclear energy was 9.1%.

A Global Turning Point

According to Ember‘s analysis, this is not just a temporary situation. Solar and wind are now not only meeting new demand but are also beginning to reduce fossil fuel production. As this momentum continues, it is expected that clean energy will outpace demand growth for a long time, leading to a permanent decline in fossil fuels.

Looking at regions, while China and India saw a decrease in production from fossil fuels in the first half of the year, their generation from renewable energy sources increased. China maintained its position as the world’s clean energy leader, and in India, production from renewable energy sources exceeded the increase in electricity demand during this period.

In contrast, the US and the European Union saw an increase in electricity generation from fossil fuels. In the US, production from fossil fuels rose because electricity demand outpaced the growth rate of renewables. In Europe, weak performance from wind and hydropower generation led to the use of more coal and gas to fill the gap.