A major shift in the world’s energy system occurred in 2025. For the first time in modern history, renewable electricity generation grew faster than global electrical demand. In other words, every new watt of power the world needs is now coming from clean sources. This good news is based on energy data from 215 countries. Clean energy can now keep pace with demand growth. Fossil fuels still dominate but are steadily losing ground.
The war in Ukraine compromised the flow of oil and natural gas to European countries leading to a shift toward more solar and wind energy. The war in the Middle East is producing a similar acceleration to clean energy across the planet. Even before the blockage of oil flowing from the Middle East, China and India saw declines in fossil fuel usage. In 2025, China alone accounted for half of the world’s solar generation and most of the planet’s new wind output. The same year, two-thirds of India’s total energy investment ($150 billion) was for clean energy.
On the global scene, this shift to solar, wind, and geothermal energy is a major source of economic growth. From 2019 to 2023, five million jobs across the globe were added by expanding renewables (from 30 million in 2019 to 35 million in 2023). It is predicted that another 10 million jobs will be added in clean energy by 2030 while fossil fuels will lose three million jobs.