We collectively have done it ! For the first time, renewables have beaten coal as the first electricity source globally in the first half of 2025, (with 34.3% of the total, compared to 33.1%). Solar, wind, hydro and other renewables generated 5,072 TWh compared to 4,896 TWh for the dirty old crap as global coal consumption decreased by a teeny, tiny 0.6%.
These exciting news come from research published by Ember, a British energy think tank. The whole publication is worth your time, and I will share with you the most prominent bits. One of their graph shows a booming renewables curve while coal and natural gas are more or less stagnant :
With China and India becoming more efficient on their coal burning and adding more and more solar and wind to meet their needs, it is likely that this trend will continue. For example, in India, solar grew by 25% and wind by 29% in the first half of 2025 compared to the first half of 2024. This represents a total of 28 TWh (that’s 6% of the annual electricity consumption of France, more or less).
Solar is now growing exponentially as it is now by far the cheapest electricity source. Nothing can compete, not coal, not fossil gas and certainly not nuclear and its staggering delays and massive overcosts… Indeed, global solar installations were 64% higher in the first half of 2025 than in the same time last year.
Global emissions have been plateauing for the past few years, or at least have increased much less slowly than before. Of course, this is nowhere near the sharp decline we should be seeing right now if we are to stabilize and eliminate the threat of runaway climate change, but this still means Hope. And Hope is desperately needed when we are on the same planet as powerful old men hellbent on destruction…
Renewables are great AND we still need to accelerate energy efficiency, conservation and sobriety in G20 nations. Now is the time to be more mindful of our ginormous resources consumption. Energy and water should not be squandered as they are nowadays.
I will let you read the full report if you feel so inclined. Whatever far right and conservative politicians and the fossil fuels companies are telling you, this is an exciting boom time for renewables and the global energy transition. And it is up to us all to make these trends continue to grow. ..
