For the first time ever, cleaner, renewable energy from wind and solar production exceeded the amount of electricity generated from burning coal in the first half of 2025. This marked a pivotal milestone in the world's energy transition, according to the Guardian.
The findings came from a new report by Ember, an energy-focused think tank. The report, released in early October, analyzed global electricity production during the first six months of 2025.
Małgorzata Wiatros-Motyka, the author of the report, called the moment "a crucial turning point," per the Guardian.
In addition to surpassing coal as a source of electricity production, growth in solar and wind generation outpaced the increase in global demand for power.
"Solar and wind are now growing fast enough to meet the world's growing appetite for electricity," Wiatros-Motyka said. "This marks the beginning of a shift where clean power is keeping pace with demand growth."
This remarkable growth in electricity output from wind and solar came even as the U.S., the world's largest economy, engaged in an abrupt energy U-turn. This success happened despite the U.S. moving away from cleaner, renewable sources and doubling down on planet-heating fuels like coal.
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"Global electricity demand grew by 2.6% (+369 TWh) in the first half of 2025," the Ember report found. "This increase was more than met by increases in solar (+306 TWh, 31%) and wind (+97 TWh, +7.7%) generation, with solar alone covering 83% of the rise."
The global increases in solar and wind production were driven largely by China, the world's largest electricity consumer, and India. In China, production from non-renewable extracted fuels dropped by 2%. Solar power increased by a remarkable 43% in just six months, per the Ember report.
Similarly, in India, coal and gas electricity production fell by 3.1% while solar and wind went up by 31% and 29% respectively.
Meanwhile, the U.S. went in the opposite direction. Ember found that electricity generated by coal rose by 17% during the first half of 2025.
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Absolutely 💯 The data strongly suggested that the world is moving ahead with the transition to cleaner, renewable sources of energy, with or without the U.S. The longer the U.S. sticks with older, dirtier sources of energy, the more it risks falling behind the rest of the world.
Regardless of government policies, you can join the transition to cleaner, renewable energy by installing solar panels on your home. Installing home solar can drop your electricity bill to practically zero, protecting you from rising energy prices and preventing planet-heating pollution.
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