The Verified WinThe wins worth your attention.

2025: the year clean power stopped fossil generation growth

Published · Researched 2026-09-22

What happened (dated facts)

  • Ember's Global Electricity Review 2026 (April 2026) found that in 2025, low-carbon power generation grew 887 TWh while global electricity demand grew 849 TWh — solar alone met 75% of the net demand increase, and together with wind the two met 99%. Fossil generation fell 38 TWh (−0.2%): the first time since 2020 (and only the fifth time this century) that fossil generation did not rise (Ember via cdn-img.online summary of GER_2026; Energy Institute Statistical Review of World Energy 2026 reached the same finding).
  • Solar added a record 636 TWh in 2025 (+30%), the largest annual generation gain ever recorded for any electricity source except coal's 2021 post-pandemic rebound; solar overtook wind power globally for the first time and drew close to nuclear (karmactive.com, citing Ember GER 2026).
  • In the U.S.: solar generated more electricity than coal for a full calendar month for the first time in May 2026 (12.8% vs 12.2%, Ember analysis of EIA data via Bloomberg/now.solar, June 2026); clean sources generated over 50% of U.S. utility electricity from March to May 2026 — the longest such stretch on record — with solar topping 51 TWh in June 2026 and power-sector emissions down ~5% year on year (Ember via devdiscourse, July 2026).
  • Rebecca Solnit's widely-shared Ember chart (June 2026) had earlier marked the March 2025 U.S. milestone: fossil fuels 49.2%, clean sources 50.8%, wind+solar at 24.4%.

Why it is genuinely positive

Data-verified structural tipping points in the global power system: for the first time in the modern era, electricity demand growth is being met by clean sources instead of fossil fuels — a measured outcome, not a target.

Social pulse

Circulating across Facebook, Threads and Instagram in June–September 2026: Rebecca Solnit's Facebook post (June 18, 2026) sharing Ember's charts ("clean sources reached 50.8% for the first time") with poetic framing and appreciative comments; Threads account @ourworldindata posting that "low-carbon electricity sources grew faster than demand in 2025, pushing fossil fuels into decline"; @vegtrug's Instagram carousel (Aug 11, 2026) noting the June 2026 EU solar record (25% of EU electricity, 52 TWh) and @zerowastestore's carousel noting renewables overtaking fossil fuels in Europe. Discussion treats the data as validation of long-term clean-energy work.

Verified quotes

No verbatim community quotes captured; none invented. Attributed on-record quotes from primary reporting: Ember's Raul Miranda — "For more than a century, coal and gas were the backbone of progress... But now, for the first time since the industrial revolution, the growth of electricity is coming from clean sources instead of fossil ones." (karmactive.com); IEA's Fatih Birol — solar PV "accounted for over a quarter of all of the world's energy demand growth — more than any other source, for the first time." (IEA news release via karmactive.com); Ember's Nicolas Fulghum on the U.S. solar-over-coal month — "This is a structural change in the US power system." (Bloomberg via now.solar).

Verification

Key facts

Fact Value Source Date
2025 low-carbon power growth +887 TWh vs +849 TWh demand growth Ember GER 2026 2026-04
Solar's share of demand growth 75% (with wind, 99%) Ember GER 2026 2026-04
Fossil generation 2025 −38 TWh (−0.2%), first non-rise since 2020 Ember GER 2026 2026-04
Solar record 2025 +636 TWh (+30%), overtook wind globally Ember via karmactive 2026
US solar vs coal, May 2026 Solar 12.8% > coal 12.2% (first full month) Ember/Bloomberg via now.solar 2026-06-10
US clean >50%, Mar–May 2026 Longest stretch on record Ember via devdiscourse 2026-07
US fossil 49.2% / clean 50.8% March 2025 milestone Ember charts via R. Solnit FB 2025-03

UNVERIFIED points

  • The Energy Institute review found U.S. coal generation ROSE 13% in 2025 and overall U.S. emissions rose 3.2% — the largest among major economies. The clean-power trend is structural, but it coexists with a hostile U.S. federal policy environment (administration blocking coal-plant closures, ~$700M pledged coal support) — headwinds that could slow or reverse U.S. progress. This is a genuine positive within real counter-currents, not an unqualified victory.
  • Global emissions still rose 1.1% in 2025 as total energy demand grew 1.7% — the power-sector tipping point has not yet translated into falling total emissions.

Sources