Renewables are now scaling rapidly enough to meet the world’s growing electricity needs, marking a critical turning point for climate action.
– Małgorzata Wiatros-Motyka, Ember Senior electricity analyst
Renewable energy has achieved a historic milestone, surpassing coal-fired power generation for the first time globally in the first half of 2025, propelled by extraordinary progress in China and India.
The increase in solar and wind power outpaced global electricity demand growth in the first half of 2025.
Solar alone met 83% of the rise, with many countries setting new records. Fossil fuels remained mostly flat, with a slight decline. Fossil generation fell in China and India, but grew in the EU and the US.
With coal emitting roughly twice the carbon dioxide of natural gas per unit of energy, phasing it out is critical to limit global warming. Ember’s latest report underscores the transformative power of renewables, which are dominant when supported by forward-thinking policies, as China’s relentless clean energy push sets a global standard. In contrast, the U.S. under Trump’s administration, with policies deepening fossil fuel reliance, serves as a cautionary example of retreating from the renewable energy future.
From January to June 2025, renewables—including solar, wind, and hydropower—generated 5,072 terawatt hours (TWh) worldwide, overtaking coal’s 4,896 TWh. This landmark crossover occurred amid a 2.6% rise in global electricity demand (369 TWh), fully met by renewable expansion, with solar adding 306 TWh and wind contributing 97 TWh.
China, the world’s largest electricity consumer, has been the driving force behind this global shift.
The country reduced fossil fuel generation by 2% year-over-year, despite rising demand, powered by a 43% surge in solar and a 16% increase in wind. Beijing’s aggressive policies—combining substantial subsidies, unmatched manufacturing scale, and grid enhancements—have solidified China’s position as the global leader in renewable energy deployment. These efforts have curbed emissions while strengthening energy security, offering a blueprint for aligning economic growth with climate imperatives.
India has followed suit, boosting solar output by 31% and wind by 29%, resulting in a 3.1% drop in coal and gas reliance. These advances, driven by strategic policies and global partnerships, demonstrate that developing economies can prioritize clean energy over fossil fuels.
In stark contrast, the United States under President Donald Trump has moved backward, with coal generation spiking 17% in the same period, offsetting a 3.9% decline in natural gas. This resurgence stems from deliberate policy choices, including early 2025 executive orders to revive coal production and recent pledges to sustain coal plants through deregulation. By dismantling clean energy incentives, the Trump administration has stalled U.S. progress toward Paris Agreement goals, positioning the country as an outlier in the global renewable revolution and ceding leadership to nations like China.
The European Union, despite a 14% rise in gas and a 1.1% uptick in coal due to variability in renewable output, maintains structural commitments to net-zero targets, offering a path for recovery. The U.S., however, risks falling further behind as Trump’s policies prioritize short-term fossil fuel gains over sustainable progress.
California is about to 100% replace coal from our state’s energy supply.
— Governor Gavin Newsom (@governor.ca.gov) October 10, 2025 at 9:11 PM
The 30,000+ megawatts in new clean energy and storage we’ve added since 2019 is now powering about half of our peak electricity demand.
While Trump bets on the past, California is shaping the future.
Solar saw record growth
Solar grew by a record 306 TWh (31%) in the first half of 2025. This increased solar’s share in the global electricity mix from 6.9% to 8.8%. China accounted for 55% of global solar generation growth, followed by the US (14%), the EU (12%), India (5.6%) and Brazil (3.2%), while the rest of the world contributed just 9%. Four countries generated over 25% of their electricity from solar, and at least 29 countries surpassed 10%, up from 22 countries in the same period last year and only 11 countries in H1-2021.
Nuclear rose moderately
Nuclear generation globally rose by 33 TWh (+2.5%), maintaining its share of 9.1% in the global electricity mix in H1-2025. The rise came mainly from Asia, with increases in China (+24 TWh, +11%), South Korea (+7.9 TWh, +8.7%), Japan (+5.7 TWh, +14%) and India (+3.5 TWh, +14%). Outside Asia, nuclear generation also rose significantly in Canada (+5.2 TWh, +13%) and France (+4.4 TWh, +2.5%).
In contrast, nuclear power fell in economies such as Taiwan (-5.3 TWh, -62%), the US (-5.2 TWh, -1.4%), Belarus (-2.6 TWh, -28%), Belgium (-2.4 TWh, -16%), Argentina (-1.4 TWh, -21%) and Brazil (-1.2 TWh, -15%).
Power sector emissions plateaued
Despite global electricity demand rising by 2.6%, emissions fell slightly by 12 MtCO2 in the first half of 2025. Declines in China (-46 MtCO2) and India (-24 MtCO2) reflected clean generation growth outpacing demand. By contrast, emissions increased in the EU (+13 MtCO2) and the US (+33 MtCO2) compared with the same period last year.
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