IEA: Solar Rises to Become the Top Growth Source Among All Energy Sources

Global energy demand grew 1.3% in 2025, slowing from the previous year, but electricity demand expanded faster, rising about 3%.

The growth was driven by the following factors:

• Expanding electrification in buildings and industry
• Rising EV adoption
• Growing electricity demand from data centers

The most notable shift was solar. Solar accounted for more than 25% of the increase in global energy supply in 2025, becoming the first modern renewable energy source to lead global primary energy growth. Natural gas followed, accounting for 17%.

The IEA said renewables and nuclear together covered nearly 60% of the increase in energy demand. Looking at power generation alone, the growth in these low-carbon power sources exceeded the growth in electricity demand.

In the transport sector, EV sales rose more than 20%, surpassing 20 million units, accounting for roughly 1 in 4 new car sales. This curbed the growth in gasoline and diesel demand.

Regional trends diverged.

• China: Coal demand slowed and emissions declined, driven by renewables expansion and efficiency improvements
• US: Coal use increased due to rising gas prices, while data center and industrial activity pushed up demand
• India: Emissions were effectively flat

Global energy-related CO2 emissions rose just 0.4%, a slowdown in the upward trend. However, in advanced economies, fossil fuel use and emissions actually increased due to the impact of a cold winter.