November 17, 2025 at 3:47 pm

China And India Lead The Green Charge As Renewables Generate More Energy Than Coal For The First Time

by Kyra Piperides

Off shore wind turbines

SSE Renewables

The threat to our planet and its ecosystems is no secret, and we’re all doing what we can to combat the climate crisis – except for the fossil fuel giants, that is.

And after the first tipping point was passed, everything felt a bit bleak – there was a sense that there was little hope when some of the most beautiful parts of our world are being destroyed.

But thanks to a new report from global energy think-tank Ember, there is at least a little reason to be hopeful: in the first half of 2025, global green energy growth outpaced demand for the first time ever.

If nothing else, on the ‘saving the planet’ front, that’s at least something to smile about.

Solar panels in a field

Pexels

This is all thanks to a steady growth in solar and wind power, with continuous investment in and development of renewables starting to redress the balance with dirty fossil-fuel based energy.

This is exciting for the future of the planet, as Ember’s Małgorzata Wiatros-Motyka explained in a statement:

“We are seeing the first signs of a crucial turning point. 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.”

While electricity demand increased by 2.6% in the first half of 2025, so did renewable output, with Ember explaining that solar power met 83% of that rise in demand.

A wind turbine in a field

Pexels

Even more excitingly, renewables generated more energy worldwide than coal in the first half of 2025, which is a great step forward in limiting the exploitation of the Earth’s resources.

But the shameful truth is that powers in the global West aren’t leading the charge, as one might hope. In fact, the generation of fossil fuels by the US and EU the generation of power from fossil fuels increased, a huge backwards step.

At the same time, China led the growth in renewables, with more solar and wind power contributed to the world’s energy generation than anywhere else in the world. In India, meanwhile, renewables growth was three times the increase in demand.

While this is positive news, it’s clear that it’s time the Western governments and energy sectors step up and contribute to renewable energy generations, and in turn work on saving the planet we all hold so dear.

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