Milestone Achieved: Clean Energy Overtakes Fossils Globally

For the first time outside a global downturn, the world’s rising electricity demand is being met entirely by clean energy, marking 2025 as the first year with no increase in fossil fuel generation.

“Record solar growth has turned clean power into the main engine of electricity supply,” said Nicolas Fulghum, senior data analyst at Ember. “The world’s largest power systems are now adding renewables faster than demand itself.”

In the first three quarters of 2025, solar generation surged by 498 TWh, a 31% jump, while wind added 137 TWh, together exceeding the global rise in demand of 603 TWh. Fossil output fell slightly by 17 TWh, with notable declines in China and India balancing modest increases in Europe and the United States. Clean sources now supply 43% of global electricity, up from 41% last year, and renewables alone have overtaken coal for the first time, signalling a decisive shift toward a fossil-free growth era.