India contributed 5.6% of this growth, ranking among the top five countries after China, the US, and the EU. Here are the finer details of the landmark shift in ways countries around the world are meeting their electricity demand.
1 / 5Renewable energy sources generated more electricity than coal globally for the first time in the first half of 2025, a development that some analysts called “the first signs of a crucial turning point.” This shift is driven largely by China and India, according to a report by think tank Ember. (Image: Canva)
2 / 5India reduced coal and gas use by 3.1% while power generation from wind and solar energy increased remarkably by 29% and 31% respectively. On the contrary, fossil generation grew in Western countries like the US and the European Union (EU). (Image: Canva)
3 / 5Similarly, China, which is the world’s largest electricity consumer, reduced fossil-fuel generation by 2% while its solar and wind generation grew by 43% and 16% respectively, the report found. (Image: Canva)
4 / 5Małgorzata Wiatros-Motyka, Senior Electricity Analyst, Ember said that the world is at the perfect time to embrace the economic, social and health benefits that come with increased solar, wind and batteries as costs of technologies continue to fall. “Solar and wind are now growing fast enough to meet the world’s growing appetite for electricity. This marks the beginning of a shift where clean power is keeping pace with demand growth,” she said. (Image: Canva)
5 / 5Solar power alone met 83% of the rise in global electricity demand in the first half of 2025 as global electricity demand grew by 2.6%. Solar power grew by a record 31% in the first half of 2025, lifting its share in global electricity from 6.9% to 8.8%. India contributed 5.6% of this growth, ranking among the top five countries after China, the US, and the EU. (Image: Canva)
