2025 marks a clean-energy turning point as renewables outpace demand and coal wanes

Ember’s 2025 global analysis shows clean power generation outpacing demand growth, pushing fossil-fuel output into a rare decline for the first time this century; solar and wind led the surge (solar alone met roughly three-quarters of demand growth, with wind adding much of the rest), storage expanded as costs fell, and China and India drove much of the expansion. Coal’s global share fell below one-third, while the US and Europe posted modest solar gains. The report suggests renewables can reliably meet rising demand while enhancing energy security, even amid political headwinds against clean energy in some countries.