Renewable energy has overtaken coal as the largest global source of energy in the first half of this year, according to a report from global energy think tank Ember.

According to the think tank’s mid-year electricity report, wind and solar energy met 109 percent of the extra electricity demand. Solar alone accounted for 83 percent of the increase, with several countries setting new solar generation records.

The biggest increases were seen in China, where solar generation grew by 55 percent; the US, which saw a 14 percent increase; the EU, which increased by 12 percent; India, which grew by 5.6 percent; and Brazil, which saw a 3.2 percent uptick. The rest of the world accounted for the remaining nine percent of the total.

Total renewable generation worldwide grew by 363TWh, a 7.7 percent increase, while coal generation fell by 31TWh to 4,896TWh. As a result, renewables’ share of global electricity rose to 34.3 percent from 32.7 percent, while coal’s share fell to 33.1 percent from 34.2 percent.

The growth in renewable generation was mirrored by overall electricity demand, which increased 2.6 percent (+369TWh) in the first half of 2025. Despite the overall increase in electricity demand, emissions fell slightly by 12 megatons of CO2, driven by falls in China and the EU.

The report focused on monthly electricity data from 88 countries, representing 93 percent of global electricity demand, and included estimated changes in the remaining generation.

Despite global growth in renewables, the US market is expected to enter a downturn due to the current administration's growing apathy toward the sector. In a recent report, the International Energy Agency (IEA) revised its projection for US renewable energy growth over the rest of the decade.

The agency had previously anticipated that the US would install around 500GW of additional renewable capacity, mainly from wind and solar, by 2030. That estimate has now been lowered to about 250GW.

However, while the US is expected to see a sharp drop off, overall global renewable capacity is expected to surge by 2030. The IEA’s latest medium-term outlook forecasts an additional 4,600GW of renewable capacity by the end of the decade, driven predominantly by solar PV, which will account for 80 percent of the growth. According to the report, India is on track to become the world’s second-largest renewables growth market after China.

Data center companies are among the largest offtakers of renewable energy worldwide. In 2024, Amazon was recognized as the largest corporate buyer of renewables for the fifth year in a row, citing data compiled by BloombergNEF.

According to the company, it has supported more than 600 wind and solar projects to date. Of those 600, 40 are in countries with high fossil fuel penetration, including Australia, China, Greece, India, Indonesia, Poland, and South Africa, and US states such as Louisiana and Mississippi.