Renewable energy produces more electricity than coal for the first time, experts say

For the first time in history, renewable energy has produced more of the world’s electricity than coal, according to a new analysis of global energy trends.

In the first half of 2025, solar and wind energy outstripped growth in global electricity demand and led to a small but significant reduction in the use of fossil fuels compared to the year before, clean energy analysts Ember said.

The finding coincides with the International Energy Agency (IEA) forecasting a doubling of global clean energy capacity by 2030.

“We are seeing the first signs of a crucial turning point,” said Ember’s electricity analyst, Malgorzata Wiatros-Motyka.

Deployment of renewable generation, particularly in developing economies, has outpaced new fossil fuel power in recent years.

‘The beginning of a shift’

But many experts warned the increase would not be enough to meet rising global demand for electricity, let alone start to reduce emissions and therefore combat global warming.

Ms Watros-Motyka said: “Solar and wind are now growing fast enough to not only meet the world’s growing appetite for electricity – this marks the beginning of a shift where clean power is keeping pace with demand growth.”

The IEA analysis of renewable energy trends predicts global renewable generation will increase by 4,600 gigawatts by 2030 – a growth equivalent, it says, to the current total power generation of China, the EU, and Japan combined.

IEA executive director Fatih Birol said solar photovoltaic, or solar PV (the technology that converts sunlight into electricity using solar panels made up of photovoltaic cells), “is on course to account for some 80% of the increase in the world’s renewable capacity over the next five years”.

“In addition to growth in established markets, solar is set to surge in economies such as Saudi Arabia, Pakistan and several Southeast Asian countries,” he added.

The trend is not even, however.

Ember’s analysis found renewable generation outstripped coal in both China and India in the first half of 2025, but in the US and Europe, the reverse was true.

Rocketing electricity demand in the US, driven in large part by electricity for AI and datacentres, saw more reliance on coal and gas generation, despite an increase in renewable electricity capacity.

In the EU, lower output from wind farms and hydroelectric plants led to a higher reliance on fossil fuels.

The reports highlight the challenges of switching economies from fossil fuel-powered electricity grids to those dominated by renewables.

They also don’t rule out future shifts in fossil fuel emissions if demand accelerates or supply chains for renewables are constrained in some countries.

The growth of offshore wind for example, is now forecast to slow due to policy changes in places like the US and materials costs in Europe, according to the IEA.

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However, the growth in green power also reflects potential opportunities missed by countries like the US, and right-wing politicians in Europe, who reject renewable electricity on ideological or cost grounds.

In nearly all markets, the agency concludes, solar panels are the cheapest and easiest-to-install form of generation.

US President Donald Trump, who recently told the United Nations climate change was the “greatest con job”, might want to study the numbers, too.

His administration has committed to increasing US oil and gas exports and abandoning support for renewable energy.

According to a separate analysis by Ember, the US sold around $80bn (£59bn) in oil and gas in July, while China exported $120bn (£89bn)-worth of green technology in the same month.