Clean energy beats demand growth in 2025, Ember says

What the new Ember data shows

Clean electricity generation grew faster than global power demand in 2025, a combination that pushed fossil-fuel generation into decline for the first time, according to a new report from energy think tank Ember. The report, released on Tuesday, 21 April, says clean power output rose by 887 terawatt hours (TWh) last year. That exceeded the overall rise in global electricity demand, which Ember put at 849 TWh. The gap matters because it suggests the world added enough low-carbon supply to cover demand growth without increasing fossil-fuel output. Ember said record solar growth, especially in China and India, was a key driver behind the shift.

Coverage and methodology in the report

Ember said it analyses electricity data from 215 countries, and studied 2025 data for 91 countries. The think tank said those 91 countries represent 93% of global electricity demand. The report is positioned as a global power-sector snapshot, focusing on how generation changed in 2025 across major technologies including solar, wind, hydropower and other clean sources. While the dataset scope is broad, Ember’s headline conclusions in the report centre on a handful of system-level changes: stronger renewable penetration, slower fossil output, and large regional contributions from China and India.

Renewables cross one-third of global electricity mix

Ember said renewables, including solar, wind, hydropower and other clean energies, crossed a symbolic threshold in 2025. The report puts renewables’ share at more than one-third of the world’s electricity mix for the first time in modern history. In volume terms, Ember said renewable generation grew 33.8% to 10,730 TWh. The report frames this as a structural shift, not just a one-off change, because the increase came alongside robust global demand growth.

Solar and wind explain most of the demand increase

Solar was the standout contributor in Ember’s 2025 data. The report said solar generation grew 30% in 2025. Ember estimated solar alone met three-quarters of last year’s net rise in electricity demand. When solar and wind were combined, the report said they met 99% of the net demand increase. Ember also noted that solar overtook wind power globally for the first time last year, and gained on nuclear power. The think tank expects solar and wind to overtake nuclear this year, according to the report summary.

Fossil generation stalls, and coal share slips

Against the rise in renewables, Ember said fossil-fuel generation “essentially halted” and fell about 0.2% in 2025. That decline was about 38 TWh, making 2025 one of only a handful of years this century without a rise in fossil generation, as described in the report. Ember also pointed to a shift in coal’s role. It said coal power saw its share fall below one-third of global generation, and described a 0.6% drop alongside a figure of 63 TWh. The report summary does not elaborate further on how that coal figure is defined, but the stated direction of change is clear: coal’s share declined.

China and India: first simultaneous fossil declines this century

Ember said 2025 was the first time this century that both China and India saw declines in fossil-fuel generation. For China, the decline was 0.9%, or 56 TWh. For India, Ember put the decline at 3.3%, also 56 TWh. The report describes both countries as historically major contributors to fossil generation, which is why their simultaneous declines are notable in Ember’s framing. A researcher quoted in the report summary said they are “now aggressively pursuing a strategy of diversification through bringing renewables into the mix,” pointing to renewables as the biggest driver of change in the two power systems.

What changed inside China’s power mix

China led the world in solar in 2025, according to Ember. The report said China was responsible for more than half of the world’s growth in both solar capacity and solar generation last year. It also said China accounted for most of the world’s rise in wind, adding 138 TWh. Separately, another Ember-linked estimate included in the provided material said China likely added more than 300 gigawatts (GW) of solar and 100 GW of wind in 2025, described as new records for China and therefore for any country.

India’s renewable push and demand context

For India, Ember said 2025 included record increases in both solar and wind generation, along with strong hydropower output. The report also noted that India saw lower-than-average demand growth, described as a reversal from recent years when fossil generation increases were driven by an economic rebound following the pandemic. In capacity terms, another figure included in the provided material said India added 35 GW of solar, 6 GW of wind and 3.5 GW of hydropower in the first 11 months of 2025. It also said renewable capacity additions picked up 44% year on year over that period.

Other regions: US and Europe solar additions

The report summary included smaller but still meaningful solar additions in other major markets. It said the US added 85 TWh of solar generation in 2025. Europe added 60 TWh of solar generation. The summary added that fossil fuels saw small increases in those regions, without providing a net fossil change number. These figures underline the report’s broader theme that solar was the fastest-moving lever in 2025 across multiple geographies.

Key figures at a glance

Market impact: what the numbers imply for energy systems

Ember’s headline comparison between clean generation growth (887 TWh) and demand growth (849 TWh) points to a market where incremental demand was met largely by renewables. In practical system terms, that typically means lower utilisation for fossil plants when renewable output is available, aligning with Ember’s description that fossil generation “essentially halted” and fell 38 TWh. The report also links the shift to solar’s rapid scale-up, with solar and wind together meeting 99% of net demand growth. For investors and policymakers tracking transition risk, the cited first-time decline in fossil generation in both China and India adds weight because those markets are among the largest sources of global power-sector emissions.

Analysis: why China and India mattered most in 2025

The report frames China’s scale as decisive, saying it was responsible for more than half of global growth in solar capacity and generation, and that it added 138 TWh of wind generation. India’s contribution, while smaller in absolute terms in the summary, is highlighted because the country recorded declines in fossil generation alongside record solar and wind growth and strong hydropower output. The report summary also links India’s 2025 outcome to slower demand growth compared with recent years. A separate Ember-related theme included in the provided material is the connection between clean power and national security concerns, with one comment stating that clean energy can meet rising demand economically while helping address national security issues.

Conclusion

Ember’s 2025 review portrays a turning point where clean electricity growth outpaced demand growth, leading to a small but significant decline in fossil-fuel generation. The report highlights solar’s rapid expansion and the role of China and India in driving the global change in generation trends. It also flags renewables crossing one-third of the global electricity mix and solar overtaking wind globally. Ember expects solar and wind to overtake nuclear this year, according to the report summary, making the next annual dataset a key checkpoint for whether 2025’s pattern holds.