Solar Overtakes Wind in Global Electricity Generation for the First Time

According to Oilprice.com, in a report published Thursday, August 13, 2026 (22 Mordad 1405), citing fresh data from the Statistical Review of World Energy, global solar power generation rose 30.1 percent year on year in 2025 to 2,811 terawatt hours, overtaking wind generation of 2,714 terawatt hours for the first time on record. Total global electricity generation reached about 32,202 terawatt hours in 2025, of which 33.4 percent came from renewable sources including hydro, wind, solar and others, the report said.

China generated about 1,173 terawatt hours of solar electricity, nearly 42 percent of the global total, followed by the United States with 393 terawatt hours, India with 169, Japan with 111 and Germany with 92. Hydropower remained the world's largest single renewable source of electricity at 4,479 terawatt hours, or 13.9 percent of global generation, the report said.