Global Growth In Solar 'the Largest Ever Observed For Any Source'
Source: Slashdot
Overview
The International Energy Agency (IEA) reports that 2025 marked a turning point for global energy, with solar achieving the largest growth ever observed for any energy source. This surge helped carbon‑free power outpace rising demand, leading the agency to declare that the world has entered the “Age of Electricity.”
Ars Technica summarizes the IEA’s findings:
- The report covers energy use across the electrical grid, transportation, home heating, and other consumption forms.
- Electric vehicles (EVs) are displacing gasoline use, and heat pumps are replacing gas and oil heating.
- Electricity demand grew at twice the rate of overall energy demand, reinforcing the shift toward electrification.
Key Statistics
- Electric vehicle demand rose by nearly 40 %, with EV sales representing a quarter of all cars sold last year.
- The rise in oil use last year was modest at 0.7 %, less than half the average increase of the previous decade.
Solar Power’s Central Role
When it comes to supplying the electrons for these alternatives, solar power is the central story.
“The absolute increase of solar PV generation in 2025 is the largest ever observed for any source,” the IEA says, “excluding years marked by rebounds from global economic shocks such as COVID‑19.”
Key points about solar growth:
- Solar’s growth alone covered a quarter of the rising demand for all forms of energy.
- When limited to electricity, increased solar production covered over two‑thirds of the increased demand.
- Solar generated over 2,700 TWh in 2025, more than double its output from three years earlier.
- Solar now accounts for over 8 % of the world’s total electricity production.
- Thirty countries installed at least 1 GW of solar capacity last year, making solar the single largest grid source by capacity (though other sources still outproduce it overall).
For the full IEA report, see the IEA Global Energy Review 2026. The original article is available on Ars Technica.