Electricity · Global data
Clean power broke records. Has fossil electricity peaked?
By ChartGlow · · 5 min read
Clean electricity reached a new global high in 2025. But a record for clean power does not automatically mean fossil electricity has begun a lasting decline. Ember’s global series puts the distinction in TWh: from 2000 to 2025, clean generation grew from 5,400.08 TWh to 13,541.66 TWh, while fossil generation also rose—from 9,878.70 TWh to 18,237.71 TWh. The final year is an estimate, so it offers a signal, not proof of a durable peak.
Global electricity generation, 2000–2025
Fossil generation, 2025 estimate
18,237.71 TWh
That is 37.80 TWh below 2024 (−0.21%). Fossil electricity remained close to its 2024 level.
Clean power’s record
Clean generation reached 13,541.66 TWh in 2025, up 886.94 TWh (+7.01%) from 2024. It supplied 42.61% of total electricity generation that year.
Three years, two generation totals
These endpoint values come from Ember’s world aggregate. TWh measures electricity generated, not installed capacity or electricity use per person.
| Source group | 2000 | 2024 | 2025* |
|---|---|---|---|
| Fossil | 9,878.70 | 18,275.51 | 18,237.71 |
| Clean | 5,400.08 | 12,654.72 | 13,541.66 |
*Ember estimates 2025 generation from monthly data. Values are shown to two decimal places as published; the dataset may be revised.
Use this project Download all 52 annual values52 observations · 2 source groups × 26 years · 2000–2025
Import these exact values or adapt a request →Has fossil electricity peaked?
What the data show: Clean generation rose by 8,141.58 TWh (+150.77%) between 2000 and 2025. Fossil generation rose by 8,359.01 TWh (+84.62%) over the same endpoints. The clean increase therefore did not erase the long-run absolute growth in fossil electricity in this dataset.
What 2025 suggests: Ember’s estimate has clean generation increasing while fossil generation slips 0.21% from 2024. That is a one-year change; it cannot establish a durable peak. Later annual observations and revisions will show whether the decline continues.
This is a chart of electricity generation, not all energy consumption. It says nothing directly about oil used in transport, fossil fuels used for heat or industrial processes, or total energy demand. A visual association between clean growth and a fossil change also does not prove that one caused the other.
Method, source and limits
The source is Ember’s Global Electricity Review 2026 supporting dataset, also available through the Yearly Electricity Data page. We selected the `World` area, `Electricity generation` category, `Aggregate fuel` subcategory, `TWh` unit and the `Fossil` and `Clean` variables. The original CSV contains the underlying report data.
Ember’s methodology says 2000–2024 annual generation is gross generation compiled from sources including the Energy Institute, EIA, Eurostat, IRENA and national agencies. Ember estimates 2025 by applying absolute changes in monthly generation to the latest annual baseline, with dedicated annual sources used for some countries. Annual and monthly data can be provisional and revised. See the report’s supporting materials and methodology.
Ember’s `Clean` aggregate includes renewables and nuclear; renewables include bioenergy. `Fossil` is Ember’s published aggregate. The two values sum to the report’s global total generation in all 26 checked years. We use Ember’s published values without further aggregation or unit conversion. The source dataset is released under CC BY 4.0. Attribution: Ember, Global Electricity Review 2026 dataset; changes: world/two-group selection and animated presentation. Checked on 8 October 2026. Intermediate frames are animation, not additional observations. The accompanying conceptual illustration was generated for this article; it is not a data source.
The latest year is an estimate rather than a complete final annual observation. Historical values can change as the source is revised. This comparison describes global generation totals; it does not establish the causes of year-to-year movement, emissions avoided, or a long-term fossil peak.
Use the exact data or make your own comparison
Choose the CSV for this article’s 52 published observations, or adapt a request in ChartGlow. Both start with electricity generation in TWh; “Clean” includes renewables and nuclear, and 2025 is estimated.
Reproduce the 52 observations
World · Fossil and Clean · 2000–2025. Importing the CSV keeps the published values; it does not copy the video’s styling.
- Download and check the CSV. Open New chart, sign in if asked, then choose Upload a file and select it yourself. This creates a chart directly.
- In Data, check 52 rows. In Fields, map Entity Column → Source, Time Column → Year, and Value / Metric Column → Generation (TWh); set time Order to Ascending.
- Choose Chart → Chart Type → Line. Check Preview against the values above; keep the TWh unit, Ember source and 2025 estimate visible.
In an existing chart: Data → Add data → CSV / Excel File (on mobile, Data is the Edit data icon). Review before Replace data, which replaces the whole table; Cancel keeps your data.
Follow the native import steps →Adapt your groups, area or years
Review the request below, then edit its three fields in Generate Dataset. If you change World to a country or select different fuel groups, update the metric and entities together. Keep the unit and source explicit.
This asks for data to review; it does not reproduce or guarantee the exact CSV, annual coverage or this article’s statistics.
Review the electricity request →A starting request: World, Fossil and Clean
- Metric to track
- Annual world electricity generation (TWh), Ember Global Electricity Review 2026 report dataset: World / Electricity generation / Aggregate fuel / TWh / Fossil and Clean. Clean includes renewables (including bioenergy) and nuclear. Mark 2025 as estimated. Keep annual source values and references; flag missing observations without inventing or filling them. Electricity generation, not total energy, share or installed capacity.
- Entities to compare (optional)
- World: Fossil and Clean (published aggregate fuel groups)
- Period to cover
- 2000–2025
Choose Review this request. After signing in in the same tab, choose Use this illustrative request in Generate Dataset. All three fields stay editable; an existing draft is kept. Nothing is generated, applied or created automatically.
Review this requestGeneration is voluntary and may use AI credits. Review proposed sources, units, dates, missing values and reuse rights before applying data. Then select Chart → Chart Type → Line manually; the request does not set it.
In an existing project, copy the fields into Data / Edit data → AI Assistant → Generate Dataset. This link does not prefill an existing chart. Electricity generation is not all energy; renewables include bioenergy. Keep any estimates labelled.