Fossil fuels remained the dominant source of global electricity generation in 2025, accounting for 57 per cent of output despite the continued expansion of renewable energy, according to a report by the Pew Research Centre based on data from energy think tank Ember.
According to The Punch, the report noted that electricity generated from coal, natural gas and oil has steadily declined as a share of global power generation, dropping from 65 per cent in 2000 to 57 per cent last year.
It also cited the Energy Institute’s Statistical Review of World Energy, which estimated that coal, oil and natural gas still made up 86 per cent of global primary energy consumption, a proportion that has changed little over the last two decades.
The report highlighted the rapid rise of renewable energy, particularly solar power, with Ember data showing that wind and solar energy together produced 17 per cent of global electricity last year, up from less than five per cent a decade earlier.
When hydropower, geothermal and tidal energy are included, renewable sources generated a greater share of the world’s electricity than hydrocarbons, reflecting the substantial contribution of long-established hydropower infrastructure.
However, the report pointed to a continued decline in nuclear energy, whose contribution to global electricity generation dropped from 17 per cent in 2000 to nine per cent last year.
According to the Energy Institute, the decline comes at a time when global electricity demand is increasing far more rapidly than new generation capacity is being added.
The institute explained that coal, natural gas and, to a lesser extent, oil continue to play a major role in electricity production because they can be dispatched whenever needed, unlike wind and solar power, which depend on weather conditions.
The report further observed that although fossil fuels account for a smaller proportion of global electricity generation, rising electricity demand means their total consumption continues to increase.
It added that the growth of wind and solar energy has been driven by efforts in many countries to cut emissions and reduce reliance on imported energy.
According to the report, China has recorded the most significant expansion in wind and solar capacity while remaining one of the world’s biggest consumers of coal, oil and natural gas.
It noted that China’s energy mix illustrates the gap between renewable energy capacity and actual energy use, as the country continues to consume more coal than any other nation despite leading global investment in wind and solar power.
The report also stated that the European Union generated more electricity from non-hydrocarbon sources than from fossil fuels last year.
According to Ember data, non-hydrocarbon sources accounted for 48 per cent of the bloc’s electricity generation, while gas- and coal-fired power plants contributed 29 per cent.
In Nigeria, gas-fired power plants continue to supply about 70 per cent of the country’s electricity generation.
