Solar and wind power have overtaken coal in meeting electricity demand for the first time on record, according to latest analysis.

Research from think tank Ember for the first six months of the year found that “solar growth and steady wind expansion are reshaping the global power mix”.

“We are seeing the first signs of a crucial turning point,” said Małgorzata Wiatros-Motyka, senior electricity analyst at Ember.

“Solar and wind are now growing fast enough to meet the world’s growing appetite for electricity. This marks the beginning of a shift where clean power is keeping pace with demand growth.”

The think tank's figures found that global electricity demand rose 2.6% in the first half of 2025 and solar alone met more than four fifths of this rise.

While renewables supplied 5,072 TWh of global electricity, up from 4,709 TWh in the same period in 2024, coal supplied 4,896 TWh, down 31 TWh year-on-year.

“The 0.3% (-27 TWh) drop in fossil fuel generation was modest but significant, indicating that wind and solar generation are growing quickly enough that in some circumstances they can now meet total demand growth,” said researchers.

“As their exponential rise continues, they are likely to outstrip demand growth for longer and longer periods, cementing the decline of fossil generation.”

Fossil generation falls in China and India, but rises in the US and EU

China, India, the EU and the US continue to shape global energy supplies.

But researchers found that while China and India’s use of fossil fuels fell during the first half of the year they rose in the US and the EU.

“China and India both saw fossil generation fall in the first half of 2025 as clean power growth outpaced demand,” according to Ember’s research.

“China remained the leader in clean energy growth, adding more solar and wind than the rest of the world combined, helping to cut China’s fossil generation by 2% (-58.7 TWh) in the first half of 2025."

However, in the US “demand growth outpaced clean power, driving up fossil generation” and in the EU “weaker wind and hydro output led to higher gas and coal generation”.

Commenting on the research Global Solar Council chief executive Sonia Dunlop said: “This analysis confirms what we are witnessing on the ground: solar and wind are no longer marginal technologies—they are driving the global power system forward.

“The fact that renewables have overtaken coal for the first time marks a historic shift.

“But to lock in this progress, governments and industry must accelerate investment in solar, wind, and battery storage, ensuring that clean, affordable, and reliable electricity reaches communities everywhere.”

Julia Skorupska, head of secretariat at the Powering Past Coal Alliance (PPCA) added: “Renewables overtaking coal for the very first time is a sign of how the economics of power generation have been transformed.

“There is a clear economic case for replacing coal with renewables, which are now the cheapest forms of energy in most of the world.

“The transition from coal to renewables underpins competitiveness, enables energy security, creates good jobs and lowers electricity prices and air pollution risks for citizens”.

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