For the first time ever, renewable energy sources generated more electricity than coal globally in the first half of 2025, driven by rapid growth in China and India, a report by think tank Ember showed on Tuesday.
Renewables, such as wind and solar, supplied 5,072 terawatt hours (TWh) of electricity globally between January and June, surpassing coal’s 4,896 TWh, according to the report.
Growth Of Renewables
Curbing coal power generation, which emits around double the amount of carbon dioxide as gas generation, is regarded as vital by most scientists to meet global climate targets.”We are seeing the first signs of a crucial turning point,” said Małgorzata Wiatros-Motyka, senior electricity analyst at Ember.
“Solar and wind are now growing fast enough to meet the world’s growing appetite for electricity.”Global Leaders Global electricity demand increased 2.6%, or 369 TWh, in the first half of 2025 compared with the same period in 2024, which was more than met by a 306 TWh increase in solar power and a 97 TWh increase in wind power output.
The shift to renewables was driven largely by China and India. China, the world’s largest electricity consumer, reduced fossil-fuel generation by 2% while its solar and wind generation grew by 43% and 16% respectively, the Ember report said.
In India, there were increases in wind and solar generation of 29% and 31% respectively, which helped the country reduce coal and gas use by 3.1%, the report showed.
Coal And Gas Demand
Fossil-fuel generation, however, rose in both the United States and European Union during the same period, as stronger demand growth and weaker wind and hydropower output forced greater reliance on coal and gas.
In the U.S., coal generation rose by 17% as gas generation fell by 3.9% while in Europe, gas-fired power generation rose by 14% and coal by 1.1%, the report said. U.S. President Donald Trump, a climate-change sceptic, earlier this year signed executive orders aimed at boosting coal production, and last month also pledged support for coal-fired power plants.
(with inputs from Reuters)
