Renewable energy outpaces coal for electricity generation in historic first, report says
Source: NPR
Updated October 9, 2025 5:06 PM ET
For the first time, renewable energy has overtaken coal as the primary source of electricity around the world, a new report says, indicating a shift in the global reliance on environmentally harmful fossil fuels.
Renewable energy contributed 34.3% of all global electricity generated in the first half of 2025, while coal fell to 33.1%, the energy think tank Ember found. Renewable energies include sources like solar, wind and hydro, as opposed to fossil fuels like coal and natural gas.
Populous developing countries like China and India led the charge in adding more renewable energies, Ember reports. Meanwhile, Western societies including the European Union and the United States met some of their increased electricity demand through the use of fossil fuels during this period.
Nevertheless, global coal generation fell 0.6% in the first half compared to the same period a year earlier. "I think that most economies want to expand their clean electricity, but some are more strategic and seizing on the opportunity than others," said Malgorzata Wiatros-Motyka, a senior electricity analyst at Ember.
Read more: https://www.npr.org/2025/10/09/nx-s1-5564746/renewable-energy-coal-electricity-first
Link to Ember REPORT - Global Electricity Mid-Year Insights 2025
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