The global energy landscape reached a historic turning point in 2024, with renewables and nuclear power accounting for 40.9% of global electricity generation – the highest share since the 1940s, according to Ember’s Global Electricity Review 2025. Solar energy led the charge, growing by 29% year-on-year and contributing a record 474 terawatt-hours (TWh), solidifying its role as the fastest-growing power source for the 20th consecutive year.
The report highlights that solar electricity has doubled in just three years, surpassing 2,000 TWh in total generation for 2024. Solar now supplies 6.9% of global electricity, while wind contributed 8.1% and hydro remained steady at 14%, maintaining its position as the largest single renewable source.
Clean power added a total of 858 TWh in 2024, a 49% increase over the previous record set in 2022. Despite this remarkable growth, fossil fuel generation still experienced a modest 1.4% increase, driven largely by rising electricity demand during global heatwaves. These temperature extremes accounted for nearly 0.7% of the 4% overall demand increase, as air conditioning and cooling systems were used more extensively. Without these weather effects, fossil fuel use would have seen a marginal rise of just 0.2%.
Ember’s managing director Phil MacDonald emphasized solar’s pivotal role: “Solar power has become the engine of the global energy transition. Paired with battery storage, it is now an unstoppable force.”
In addition to weather-related demand, new technologies like artificial intelligence, electric vehicles, heat pumps, and data centers contributed significantly to global electricity use, accounting for a 0.7% increase—double the growth seen five years ago.
Looking ahead, the report projects that clean energy growth will continue to outpace rising electricity demand, marking the beginning of a sustained decline in fossil generation. The expected clean generation increase is forecast to meet annual demand growth of up to 4.1% through 2030.
China and India emerged as critical drivers of this transition. China alone was responsible for over half of the global solar growth and met 81% of its additional electricity demand with clean sources. India, meanwhile, doubled its solar capacity additions from 2023.
“Cleantech, not fossil fuels, is now the driving force of economic development,” said MacDonald. “The era of fossil growth is coming to an end, even in a world of fast-rising demand.”
