Solar Overtakes Coal: Renewable Energy Hits Historic Milestone After 100 Years

Coal’s 100-Year Reign Ends as Solar Takes the Lead

For over a century, the world’s electricity has been dominated by coal. Thomas Edison’s Pearl Street Station in Lower Manhattan, which began operations in 1882, ran on coal. Coal outlasted the oil era, the nuclear boom, the natural gas rush, and decades of shifting climate policies. From the 1970s through the mid-2010s, coal supplied between 35% and 40% of the planet’s electricity—a steady, if polluting, backbone of modern life.

Last year, that dominance came to an end. According to Ember’s Global Electricity Review 2026, published ahead of Earth Day, renewable energy sources generated 33.8% of the world’s electricity, compared to 33% from coal. This marks the first time these two energy sources have crossed paths since 1919, when hydropower powered most of the still-nascent global grid.

Solar’s Explosive Growth: From 256 TWh to 2,778 TWh in a Decade

When the Paris Climate Agreement was signed in 2015, solar produced just 256 terawatt hours (TWh) of electricity worldwide. At the time, nuclear plants generated about 10 times that amount, while wind power produced three times as much as solar.

A decade later, solar’s output has skyrocketed. In 2025, solar generated 2,778 TWh—roughly equivalent to the European Union’s annual electricity consumption. Solar’s growth has been particularly rapid: its production has doubled in the past three years alone.

For 21 consecutive years, solar has been the fastest-growing source of electricity globally. In 2025, it surpassed wind energy for the first time and is now on track to overtake nuclear power this year.

Fossil Fuels Decline as Clean Energy Fills the Gap

The International Energy Agency (IEA) reports that the world burned 8.8 billion tonnes of coal in 2024. Despite this staggering figure, solar alone covered 75% of the increase in global electricity demand. When combined with wind, renewable energy met 99% of the world’s rising electricity needs.

Fossil fuel power generation—coal, oil, and gas combined—declined by 0.2% in 2025. This is the first such drop since the pandemic and only the fifth time this century that fossil generation has not increased.

Clean energy sources are now growing fast enough to absorb nearly all new electricity added to the global grid. Analysts suggest that geopolitical shifts in the Middle East could further accelerate this transition.

The Science Behind Solar’s Dominance: Why It’s No Fluke

The rapid rise of solar is rooted in economics. Solar module prices have fallen by approximately 75% every decade for over 40 years. This trend, known as Swanson’s Law, observes that prices drop by 20% each time the total number of solar panels ever produced doubles. This pattern has persisted through supply shortages, trade wars, and pandemics.

In the mid-1970s, a single watt of solar power cost around $100. Today, it costs less than $0.20. This dramatic cost reduction has made solar the cheapest source of new electricity in most of the world.

"The energy transition is no longer a question of if, but when. Solar’s exponential growth proves that clean energy is not just viable—it’s inevitable."

— Ember Global Electricity Review 2026

What’s Next for the Global Energy Landscape?

While coal remains a major energy source—with 8.8 billion tonnes burned in 2024—its relative decline is clear. Renewable energy, led by solar, is now the primary driver of new electricity generation. With installations doubling every three years, solar is on pace to become the world’s top energy source within the next decade.

The shift away from fossil fuels is gaining momentum. For the first time in over a century, the world is moving decisively toward a cleaner, more sustainable energy future.