Renewable Share of Global Electricity
Of global electricity comes from renewables (Ember / IEA 2025)
Historical Timeline
Legacy hydropower accounts for nearly all renewable power
Solar PV and wind deployment costs begin steep exponential reduction
Paris Agreement signed; solar and wind reach grid parity in key markets
Solar becomes cheapest electricity source in economic history
Solar and wind alone surpass 15% of global power generation
Renewables surpass coal to become world's leading electricity source
Key Insights
Solar Surge
Solar PV has grown at over 25% annually, becoming the fastest-growing power source in human history and driving most new capacity additions.
Overtaking Coal
In 2025, total global electricity generation from renewables officially surpassed coal for the first time in modern industrial history.
Grid Storage Essential
Battery energy storage deployments expanded tenfold between 2020 and 2025 to balance variable solar and wind generation on electrical grids.
Sources & Citations
Ember Climate
Ember Global Electricity Review
Leading global energy think tank publishing comprehensive annual power sector datasets.
International Energy Agency (IEA)
Official forecasting and tracking of renewable capacity additions worldwide.
IRENA
International Renewable Energy Agency Statistics
Intergovernmental organization data on global renewable capacity and generation statistics.