Bye bye nukes, hello solar

Between 2015 and 2025 global solar energy generation grew tenfold, a new study reveals. Fossil fuels fell by 2% while nuclear, which saw a tiny increase (due to China), is also set to be overtaken by renewables this year. Aditya Lolla, managing director of Ember, which produced the report, told The Guardian, “Clean energy is now scaling fast enough to absorb rising global electricity demand, keeping fossil generation flat before its inevitable decline.” Wind and solar alone met 99% of the growth in electricity demand in 2025.

“Record solar growth meant clean power sources grew fast enough to meet all new electricity demand in 2025, thereby preventing an increase in fossil generation,” the Ember report said. “This was the first year since 2020 without an increase in electricity generation from fossil fuels and only the fifth year without a rise this century.”

Battery storage capacity also increased while prices fell and, as a new report by Pete Roche shows. Battery technology is advancing with options that no longer need mined lithium and cobalt and rely largely on recycling.

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