Mint Explainer | Renewables overtake coal for the first time. Will the West Asia war hasten the shift?
Subscribe to enjoy similar stories.In 2025, renewables surpassed coal in the global power mix for the first time in over a century, according to a new report by energy think tank Ember. India and China played a pivotal role in this transformation, with electricity generated from fossil fuels falling in both countries.However, coal still accounts for more than 70% of India’s electricity.
As the war in West Asia persists and battery storage costs for solar continue to fall, Mint explores whether these factors will accelerate the transition to clean energy.Renewables contributed nearly 34% to global power generation in 2025, surpassing coal for the first time. This marked a historic shift, as renewable energy’s share rose to one-third of total power output while coal-fired generation fell below that threshold.Solar power emerged as the primary driver of the global power sector in 2025, accounting for about 75% of the total growth in electricity demand.
Combined with wind energy, renewables met nearly the entire increase in global power needs.China and India, historically drivers of fossil fuel consumption, saw electricity generated from fossil fuels fall last year, halting its global net growth. In both countries, record clean-energy additions outpaced rising demand.
This surge in solar deployment was further supported by a steady decline in battery storage costs.India’s renewable power generation grew by 98 terrawatt hours (TWh) in 2025, nearly double the increase in power demand (49 TWh) during the year. Last year India experienced a mild summer, which led to a 32 TWh drop in cooling demand.
Renewable power generation within India was driven by the growth in solar, followed by wind and hydroelectric. While India recorded
. Read on livemint.com