Solar power generation to overtake nuclear in 2025

• Solar generation set to exceed nuclear in the summer
• Global output is now 20 times larger than it was 2012
• Boom in solar energy poses risks to national grids

Solar power generation will exceed electricity created by nuclear power plants for the first time this summer, according to data from energy experts Ember cited by Reuters.

In the first quarter of 2025 solar power increased by 34% year-on-year (YoY), thanks to huge increases in output in several regions , in particular China and south Asia.

If solar output growth holds at 30% for the second quarter, global output will exceed 260 terawatt hours (TWh) per month. After that, it will likely fall back to 250 TWh in September.

That level output is very likely to surpass that of the world’s nuclear reactor fleet, which has averaged a monthly output of 252 TWh since 2019 and 223 TWh in 2024.

The rapid increase in solar output in the first few months of 2025 is a continuation of the trend from 2024, which saw it add twice as much generation as any other electricity source.

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According to Ember’s Global Electricity Review 2025, solar generation is 20 times larger than it was in 2012, with its share of global generation having increased sixteenfold in the same period.

Additionally, on current data solar generation is doubling every three years, with 2024’s growth the fastest in six years. For context, solar generation took eight years to go from 100 TWh to 1,000 TwH, however it has taken just three years to hit 2,000 TWh, which it did in 2024.

The solar boom is also being driven by consumer demand and falling prices for , which in some cases has happened without significant government intervention.

An example of that is Pakistan, where solar power accounted for 14% of the country’s energy in 2024, up from 4% in 2023; last year Pakistan imported more solar panels than any other country on Earth, buying a total of 17 gigawatts.

For all countries experiencing a boom in solar power generation, there are risks to their respective national grids, where infrastructure upgrades must keep up with demand.

Written by

Maximilian Schwerdtfeger Content Manager

Max joined The Eco Experts as content manager in February 2024. He has written about sustainability issues across numerous industries, including maritime, supply chain, finance, mining, and retail. He has also written extensively for consumer titles like City AM, The Morning Star, and The Daily Express.

In 2020, he covered in detail the International Maritime Organisation’s (IMO) legislation on sulphur emissions and its effects on the global container shipping market as online editor of Port Technology International.

He also explored the initiatives major container ports and terminals have launched in order to ship vital goods across the world without polluting the environment.

Since then, he has reported heavily on the impact made by environmental, social, and governance (ESG) practices on the supply chain of minerals, with a particular focus on rare earth mining in Africa.

As part of this, in 2022 Max visited mines and ports in Angola to hone in on the challenges being faced by one of the world’s biggest producers of rare earth minerals.

His most recent sustainability-related work came much closer to home, as he investigated the eco-challenges faced by independent retailers in the UK, specifically looking at how they can cut emissions and continue to thrive.

Max lives in South London and is an avid reader of books on modern history and ghost stories. He has also recently learned to play the game Mahjong and takes every opportunity to do so. He is also yet to find a sport he doesn’t enjoy watching.

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