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Global Solar And Renewable Surge
Coverage from Carbon Brief, The Guardian, and others
Articles
43
Active Days
121
The Topic
Renewable power is expanding quickly worldwide, led by solar, with battery storage and wind helping meet most new electricity demand. Global capacity has risen sharply, but grid limits, regional coal rebounds, and emissions growth show the transition is uneven.
First Article: 03/25/26
Latest Article: 07/23/26
Summary
- Solar is the main growth engine across the cluster, with large capacity gains in China, the United States, the European Union, and India.
- Global renewable capacity reached record highs in 2025, and renewables accounted for most new power capacity additions.
- Battery storage is scaling alongside solar and wind, improving the ability to shift output and support grid balancing.
- Renewables and nuclear are covering most or all of new electricity demand growth, but total emissions still rose in 2025 because of transport, industry, methane, and some coal rebounds.
- China remains the dominant manufacturing and deployment center for solar, while Asia drives most global renewable additions.
- Regional growth is uneven: advanced markets add large volumes, while Africa and some other regions remain far behind in absolute additions.
- Grid expansion, storage, and coordination are increasingly described as the binding constraints on further solar and wind growth.
History
The story broadened from a general renewable-growth narrative into a more specific picture of solar-led expansion being increasingly supported by batteries, while new evidence highlights that emissions and coal rebounds are still preventing a clean break from fossil fuels. The framing is now less about renewables simply meeting demand growth and more about uneven system-level transition constraints.
The story shifts from a broad record-growth narrative to one emphasizing that renewables are now large enough to cover all global demand growth in some analyses and even begin displacing fossil generation. It also adds more explicit evidence of regional imbalance and introduces India’s rooftop-solar subsidy push as a concrete implementation example.
Featured
04-20-2026
Ember reports renewables replaced coal as the leading global electricity source in 2025 as wind and solar met nearly all electricity-demand growth.
04-20-2026
Ember research reports solar and wind met most global electricity demand growth in 2025 while fossil generation fell slightly, with battery storage playing a key role as grid upgrades are needed.
07-09-2026
World Bank approved financing on July 9, 2026 to expand India PM Surya Ghar residential solar rooftops for 10 million households and jobs.
Timeline: 121 Days
Hover over any logo to see coverage summary, click for full article.
Additional Articles
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In 2025, the Energy Institute statistical review reports low-carbon electricity supplied all new power growth and data centres accounted for 15% of electricity gains.
The International Energy Agency reported 2025 global energy demand grew 1.3% and electricity demand rose about 3%, driven by electrification, rising EV adoption, and solar-led supply growth.
Renewable Energies Overtook Global Electricity Demand Last Year, Led By Solar Growth In China, India
Ember reports 2025 solar growth and faster battery storage expansion helped clean power exceed electricity demand growth globally as fossil generation flattened.
Energy Institute, with Ember and partners, reports 2025 energy-related CO2-eq emissions reached a record 41.0 billion metric tons despite renewable generation growth.
Ember’s Global Electricity Review 2026 reports renewables reached 33.8 percent of world electricity in 2025, driven by fast-growing solar and battery deployment.
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IEA forecasts higher global electricity demand growth in 2026-2027 while LNG disruptions shift some generation toward coal and expand renewable-driven flexibility needs.
Murat Kurum, COP31 president-designate, says IEA and IRENA analysis underpins the 35 by 35 electrification target aimed for 2035 amid energy-price volatility.
Ember reported that 2025 clean electricity generation rose faster than global electricity demand, with solar-led growth and battery-supported midday shifting driving fossil fuel declines across major regions.
WindEurope projects Europe will add 151 GW of wind capacity from 2026 to 2030, with onshore wind accounting for 117 GW.
International Renewable Energy Agency data shared with Reuters reports record global renewable capacity in 2025, led by solar growth and approaching COP28 tripling targets.
Ember reports that solar and wind generation met all global electricity demand growth in 2025, while fossil generation fell in China and India.
GlobalData forecasts renewables will exceed 40% of global electricity generation by 2030, driven by cost declines and decarbonization amid geopolitical energy-security concerns.
Pralhad Joshi announced India reached 40 lakh PM Surya Ghar rooftop solar beneficiaries in June 2026 and aims for over 75 lakh by December 2026.
The 2026 Energy Progress Report from IEA, IRENA, and partners, launched in New York in 2026, finds renewables exceed 30% of electricity but SDG 7 progress remains too slow by 2030.
Eurostat reported that EU natural gas and renewable energy supply increased in 2025, while coal and petroleum supply declined and renewables produced 47.2% of electricity.
IRENA Director-General Francesco La Camera backed a COP31 call for 35% global electrification by 2035 during the Bonn Climate Change Conference in 2024.
Ember Global Electricity Review 2026 reports that solar growth in 2025 met new global electricity demand and limited fossil generation growth, amid U.S. and China energy competition.
Mercom India Research reported India added 2.7 GW rooftop solar in Q1 2026, driven primarily by the PM Surya Ghar program.
APSPDCL reported 78,250 rooftop solar installations in Andhra Pradesh by using PM Surya Ghar Muft Bijli Yojana, net metering, and central subsidies.
Pralhad Joshi said PM Surya Ghar Muft Bijli Yojana will exceed 7.5 million beneficiary households by December as rooftop solar uptake accelerates in India.
Ember’s Global Electricity Review 2026 says China added 336 TWh of solar in 2025, lifting global renewables above coal as demand increased.
Global Wind Energy Council data report 165 GW of new wind power capacity in 2025, led by China and Asia-Pacific, reaching 1,299 GW worldwide.
India added 6.1 GW of wind power in 2025/26, raising installed capacity above 56.1 GW and aiming for 100 GW by 2030.
China, the European Union, and the United States expand solar photovoltaic capacity as costs fall and coal generation shares decline from 2015 levels.
In March 2026, U.S. solar and wind generation surpassed natural gas for the first full month on record, supporting projections of a renewable-dominated 2026 electricity capacity build.
IRENA reported that renewables reached 49% of installed global power capacity by end-2025, adding 692 GW led by solar amid fuel-shipping disruptions.
Ember reported in 2025 that solar and wind electricity growth met global demand increases and reduced fossil-fuel generation worldwide.
U.S. Energy Information Administration reported January 2026 U.S. renewable generation above a quarter and projected further solar, wind, and battery additions through January 2027.
In 2025, FERC data reviewed by the SUN DAY Campaign indicates solar and wind dominated U.S. generating capacity additions, totaling 88.4% of new capacity.
IRENA reported 692 GW of renewable capacity additions in 2025, led by solar, with Asia dominating growth and Middle East gains tied to Saudi Arabia.
Renewable energy growth in 2025, led by solar and wind, surpassed coal in global electricity generation and supported power-sector CO2 stabilization.
IRENA reported that global solar PV added 510GW in 2025, lifting total renewable capacity to 5,149GW and making renewables 85.6% of new electricity capacity.
Ember reports rising solar, wind, and battery-driven power generation in Australia and globally, while transport, agriculture, and land emissions keep broader mitigation needs urgent near 1.5C.
Pew Research Center uses Ember and Our World in Data to report wind and solar growth and coal decline in global electricity through 2025.
Tracking SDG7: Energy Progress Report reports 655 million people still lack electricity and around 2 billion lack clean cooking, with gaps concentrated in Africa and rural communities.
IRENA reported renewables provided 85.6% of global capacity expansion in 2025, but non-renewable rebound and insufficient acceleration threaten COP28 2030 targets.
China and the European Union lead rapid solar PV expansion from 2015 to 2025 as module price declines drive cost competitiveness, despite remaining grid and storage constraints.
In 2025, global renewable power capacity additions reached 692 GW and generation shares rose, while grid and permitting constraints limited the speed toward sustained fossil decline.
In the US during 2025-2026, solar and battery storage additions accelerate while submersible hydropower projects expand interest in new clean generation sites.
Our World in Data map updates 2024-2025 electricity shares, showing coal and gas persistence in many countries while solar and wind rise rapidly.