Solar and wind met all electricity demand growth, leading to a slight fall in fossil fuel generation

China and India’s fossil generation fell in H1-2025, while the US and EU’s rose

The world’s four largest economies – China, India, the EU and the US – continued to shape the global outcome.

China and India both saw fossil generation fall in the first half of 2025 as clean power growth outpaced demand. China remained the leader in clean energy growth, adding more solar and wind than the rest of the world combined, helping to cut China’s fossil generation by 2% (-58.7 TWh) in the first half of 2025.

In the same period in India, growth in clean sources was more than three times bigger than demand growth. However, demand was exceptionally low at 1.3% (+12 TWh), compared to the same period last year at 9% (+75 TWh). 

India’s record solar and wind expansion, combined with lower demand, drove down fossil fuels in the country, with coal falling 3.1% (-22 TWh) and gas 34% (-7.1 TWh).

By contrast, fossil generation rose in the US and the EU. In the US, demand growth outpaced clean power, driving up fossil generation. In the EU, weaker wind and hydro output led to higher gas and coal generation.

With half the world already past the peak of fossil generation, Ember finds clean power can keep pace with rising electricity demand, but progress is uneven. In most economies, faster deployment of solar, wind and batteries could bring benefits.