Solar surge halts fossil fuel growth as China and India lead historic shift
A record-breaking surge in clean power met all of the world's new electricity demand in 2025, effectively halting the growth of fossil fuel generation.
According to a report by the energy think tank Ember published on April 21, 2026, global clean energy generation rose by 887 TWh, slightly outpacing a demand growth of 849 TWh, News.Az reports, citing Climate Change News.
This shift led to a 0.2% decline in fossil fuel electricity, marking only the fifth time this century that fossil power failed to grow.
The transition was primarily driven by a "historic reversal" in China and India, the two nations that have dominated fossil power growth for decades. For the first time this century, fossil fuel generation fell in both countries simultaneously, with China seeing a 0.9% drop and India a 3.3% decline. Solar power was the standout performer, meeting 75% of the increase in global demand and growing at its fastest rate in eight years. Together, solar and wind met 99% of the world's new electricity needs.
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A major milestone was also reached as renewables overtook coal in the global power mix for the first time in modern history, accounting for 33.8% of generation compared to coal's 33.0%. Experts state that the world has now entered the "era of clean growth," where renewable capacity is scaling fast enough to absorb rising demand, signaling the beginning of a permanent decline for fossil fuels in the power sector.
By Leyla Şirinova
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