Renewables overtake coal and widen their lead in 2026

For more than a century, coal produced more of the world’s electricity than all renewables combined. In 2025 renewables finally edged ahead, by a whisker: 33.8% against 33.1%. In 2026 the lead is clear. Between January and June, renewables (solar, wind, hydro, bioenergy and others) produced 35.8% of the planet’s electricity. Coal fell to 32.2%.

The gap has grown from 1.6 percentage points in the first half of 2025 to 3.6 points in the first half of 2026. In energy produced, from 233 to 547 terawatt hours (TWh): more than double. These are our own calculations from the monthly open data published by Ember, the leading think tank on global electricity.

Press Next to go through the data step by step.

Solar leads the way

Solar power is the star. In the first half of 2026 it generated 1,564 TWh, 18% more than a year earlier. It now supplies 10.2% of the world’s electricity, more than wind and more than nuclear. Only coal, gas and hydro produce more.

There have been other milestones this year. In April 2026, wind and solar together produced more electricity than gas worldwide for the first time: 531 TWh against 477, according to Ember. Add nuclear, and 44.5% of the world’s electricity now comes from low-emission sources.

“We have firmly entered the era of clean growth,” said Aditya Lolla, Ember’s managing director, presenting the 2025 review.

What comes next: 43% by 2030

The International Energy Agency (IEA) expects the shift to speed up:

• 2026: solar output will grow by 23%, about 600 TWh more, almost matching the 2025 record.
• 2027: renewables will reach 37% of global electricity.
• 2030: they will reach 43%, with coal down to 27%. By then solar will supply around 15% of all electricity, almost double its 2025 share.

These are not actual data or our own calculations: they are IEA estimates, based on current national policies, cost trends and market developments. They come from three reports: Electricity Mid-Year Update 2026 (July 2026), Renewables 2025 (October 2025) and Electricity 2026 (February 2026). They appear as a dashed line in the chart.

What is still missing

The world is using more and more electricity: 3.2% more in the first half of 2026 than a year earlier, driven by air conditioning, electric cars, industry and data centres. That is why coal still grew slightly (+1.4%), even as its share of the total shrinks. The IEA expects coal generation to start falling in absolute terms in 2027.

Why it matters: coal is the source of electricity that produces the most CO₂ and the most air pollution. Every point renewables gain means cleaner air and less warming.

How we made this chart: the 2000-2025 shares are Ember’s annual world data. The 2026 figure is the sum of the monthly data from January to June (each source’s generation divided by total generation); because spring brings more sun and water, the full year may come in slightly lower. The 2027 and 2030 estimates are the IEA’s; the dashed line only joins those points, with no estimate of our own for 2028 and 2029. The IEA and Ember measure each source’s share slightly differently, so their figures for the same year can differ by around a point.