Solar power growth outpaced gas by 17 times in 2025: Ember

Solar power expanded 17 times faster than gas-fired electricity generation in 2025, underscoring a growing global shift toward renewable energy as natural gas continues to lose ground in the world's power mix, according to a new report by global energy think tank Ember.

The analysis, released today (9 June), found that the share of gas in global electricity generation declined for the fifth consecutive year in 2025, reflecting what researchers describe as a structural transformation of the global power sector, reads a press release.

Gas accounted for 21.8% of global electricity generation last year, down from 23.9% in 2020. At the same time, nearly half of the world's gas-generating economies have already passed their peak gas power generation levels, the report said.

Of the 124 economies that generate electricity from gas, 61 have already moved beyond their peak output. These include four members of the Group of Seven (G7) industrialised nations – the United Kingdom, Germany, Italy and Japan.

Although global gas-fired generation increased slightly in absolute terms during 2025, its growth was dwarfed by the rapid expansion of solar energy. Solar generation rose by 636 terawatt-hours (TWh) during the year, compared with only 38 TWh of additional gas-fired generation.

As a result, solar alone met about 75% of new global electricity demand growth in 2025, while gas contributed just 5%.

The report also noted that growth in gas-fired power generation has slowed significantly. During the 2021-2025 period, gas generation expanded at roughly half the pace recorded between 2016 and 2020.

"The economics and energy security case for electricity are increasingly moving in the same direction," said Malgorzata Wiatros-Motyka, senior electricity analyst at Ember.

"As renewables lower costs while reducing exposure to fuel price shocks and geopolitical disruptions, gas is steadily losing the advantages that once made it the default fuel for power system growth," she said.

According to the report, recent geopolitical developments have accelerated the shift away from gas, particularly in countries dependent on fuel imports. 

Russia's invasion of Ukraine in 2022 triggered sharp increases in energy prices and prompted faster deployment of renewable energy across Europe and parts of Asia. More recently, disruptions in global liquefied natural gas (LNG) markets linked to the 2026 Middle East conflict have further exposed the vulnerabilities of import-dependent energy systems.

"Recent geopolitical crises highlighted the risks of relying on imported gas," Wiatros-Motyka said. "Countries are increasingly turning to renewables because they are domestically available, more price-stable and faster to deploy."

The analysis shows that growth in gas-fired electricity generation is becoming increasingly concentrated in a small number of countries. The United States alone accounted for 26% of global gas-fired generation in 2025 and has been the largest contributor to global gas growth over the past decade.

Across G7 economies, gas-fired generation declined by 50 TWh in 2025, while renewable generation increased by 123 TWh. Renewables generated almost as much electricity as gas across the bloc, helping clean energy sources overtake fossil fuels overall.

The report also highlighted how major emerging economies are meeting rising electricity demand without significant increases in gas use.

China, India and Brazil together accounted for around 42% of global electricity demand in 2025, yet all three maintained relatively low reliance on gas-fired power generation.

India's gas share in electricity generation fell from 12.6% in 2010 to just 2.3% in 2025. In Brazil, gas peaked at 13.7% of the electricity mix in 2014 but has since fallen to 7.3%. China, despite its rapidly growing electricity demand, maintained a gas share of around 3%.

Ember said recent energy crises are reinforcing a longer-term global shift away from imported fossil fuels as countries prioritise domestically produced clean electricity to improve affordability, strengthen energy security and enhance industrial competitiveness.

With renewable technologies scaling rapidly and nearly half of gas-generating economies already beyond peak gas power generation, the world appears to be moving closer to a turning point for gas-fired electricity, the report concluded.