Global renewable energy generation surpasses coal for first time
https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2025/oct/07/global-renewable-energy-generation-surpasses-coal-first-time
Global renewable energy generation surpasses coal for first time
https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2025/oct/07/global-renewable-energy-generation-surpasses-coal-first-time
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The world’s wind and solar farms have generated more electricity than coal plants for the first time this year, marking a turning point for the global power system, according to research.
A report by the climate thinktank Ember found that in the first six months of 2025, renewable energy outpaced the world’s growing appetite for electricity, leading to a small decline in coal and gas use.
The world generated almost a third more solar power in the first half of the year compared with the same period in 2024, meeting 83% of the global increase in electricity demand. Wind power grew by just over 7%, allowing renewables to displace fossil fuels for the first time.
The milestone represents “a crucial turning point”, according to Małgorzata Wiatros-Motyka, a senior electricity analyst at Ember and the author of the report.
China and India were largely responsible for the surge in renewables, according to the Ember report, in contrast with the US and Europe, which relied more heavily on fossil fuels.
A separate report by the International Energy Agency (IEA) found that global renewables could more than double by the end of the decade, with 80% of new clean energy capacity expected to come from solar power.
Fatih Birol, the IEA’s executive director, said: “The growth in global renewable capacity in the coming years will be dominated by solar PV – but with wind, hydropower, bioenergy and geothermal all contributing, too.
Meanwhile, the USA: Let’s cancel already halfway built renewable projects because fuck green energy in particular