China’s 2025 solar surge outpaced entire world’s 2023 output, Ember says

Fossil generation fell for the first time since 2015.

China's clean power growth in 2025 covered all of its electricity demand increase, pushing fossil generation into decline for the first time in a decade, according to an Ember report.

Solar added 336 TWh (+40%) — more than the entire world's solar additions in 2023 (+331 TWh), with China holding 58% of global solar installations at 378 gigawatts direct current (GW DC) and 72% of wind installations at 119 GW.

Wind contributed 138 TWh (+14%), reaching 11% of the national mix. Nuclear added 37 TWh (+8.2%), more than doubling its gains in each of the two prior years.

Meanwhile, fossil generation fell 56 TWh (-0.9%). Coal dropped 71 TWh (-1.2%), partly offset by a 14 TWh (+4.3%) gas increase.

Moreover, the power sector’s emissions fell 37 million tonnes of carbon dioxide equivalent (MtCO2e, -0.7%), the first absolute decline since 2015.

Carbon intensity dropped 5% to 525 grams of carbon dioxide equivalent per kilowatt-hour (gCO2e/kWh) — twice the pace of the 2020–2024 average, but still above the global average of 458 gCO2e/kWh.

Coal's share of China's mix fell from 70% in 2015 to 54% in 2025, but absolute output of 5,757 TWh still represents 55% of global coal-fired generation.