The world\u2019s wind and solar farms have generated more electricity than coal plants for the first time this year, marking a turning point for the global power system, according to research.<\/p>\n
A report by the climate thinktank Ember found that in the first six months of 2025, renewable energy outpaced the world\u2019s growing appetite for electricity, leading to a small decline in coal and gas use.<\/p>\n
The world generated almost a third more solar power in the first half of the year compared with the same period in 2024, meeting 83% of the global increase in electricity demand. Wind power<\/a> grew by just over 7%, allowing renewables to displace fossil fuels for the first time.<\/p>\n The milestone represents \u201ca crucial turning point\u201d, according to Ma\u0142gorzata Wiatros-Motyka, a senior electricity analyst at Ember and the author of the report.<\/p>\n She said: \u201cSolar and wind are now growing fast enough to meet the world\u2019s growing appetite for electricity. This marks the beginning of a shift where clean power is keeping pace with demand growth.\u201d<\/p>\n China and India were largely responsible for the surge in renewables, according to the Ember report, in contrast with the US and Europe, which relied more heavily on fossil fuels.<\/p>\n A separate report by the International Energy Agency (IEA) found that global renewables<\/a> could more than double by the end of the decade, with 80% of new clean energy capacity expected to come from solar power<\/a>.<\/p>\n Fatih Birol, the IEA\u2019s executive director, said: \u201cThe growth in global renewable capacity in the coming years will be dominated by solar PV \u2013 but with wind, hydropower, bioenergy and geothermal all contributing, too.\u201d<\/p>\n