A historic moment: Renewables to surpass coal as the largest source of global electricity in 2025 or 2026.

According to the International Energy Agency (IEA), renewables will overtake coal as the leading electricity source by 2025 or 2026 at the latest, depending on weather and economic conditions. The IEA report highlights this as a momentous milestone; once this is achieved, coal’s share of total electricity generation will drop below 33% for the first time in a century.

Solar and wind energy are the main drivers of this change. The IEA forecasts that their combined share of global electricity will reach nearly 20% by 2026, representing almost a fivefold increase from their 4% share ten years ago.

Meanwhile, hydropower will remain the largest renewable source of energy, accounting for 14% of the total. Experts from the International Energy Agency emphasize that this historic shift is happening amid rising electricity demand, projected at 3.3% in 2025 and 3.7% in 2026.