Workers inspect solar panels at a photovoltaic power station on a hill in Linyi, Shandong province, China August 11, 2018. Picture taken August 11, 2018. REUTERS/Stringer

By Susanna Twidale

LONDON (Reuters) -Renewable energy sources generated more electricity than coal globally for the first time in the first half of 2025, driven by rapid growth in China and India, a report by think tank Ember showed on Tuesday.

Curbing coal power generation, which emits around double the amount of carbon dioxide as gas generation, is regarded as vital by most scientists to meeting global climate targets.

Renewables, such as wind and solar, supplied 5,072 terawatt hours (TWh) of electricity globally between January and June, surpassing coal's 4,896 TWh, Ember said.

"We are seeing the first signs of a crucial turning point," said Małgorzata Wiatros-Motyka, senior electricity analyst at Ember. "Solar and wind are now growing fast enough to meet the world's growing appetite for electricity."

Global electricity demand increased 2.6%, or 369 TWh, in the first half of 2025 compared with the same period in 2024, which was more than met by a 306 TWh increase in solar power and a 97 TWh in wind power output.

The shift to renewables was driven largely by China and India. China, the world's largest electricity consumer, reduced fossil-fuel generation by 2% while its solar and wind generation grew by 43% and 16% respectively, the Ember report said.

In India there were increases in wind and solar generation of 29% and 31% respectively, which helped the country reduce coal and gas use by 3.1%, the report showed.

Fossil-fuel generation, however, rose in both the United States and European Union during the same period, as stronger demand growth and weaker wind and hydropower output forced greater reliance on coal and gas.

In the U.S., coal generation rose by 17% as gas generation fell by 3.9% while in Europe gas-fired power generation rose by 14% and coal by 1.1%, the report said.

U.S. President Donald Trump, a climate-change sceptic, earlier this year signed executive orders aimed at boosting coal production and last month also pledged support for coal-fired power plants.

(Reporting By Susanna Twidale; editing by Mark Heinrich)