Surprising trends in global electricity generation

About this episode

Shayle Kann interviews Nic Fulghum about the trends in global electricity generation, focusing on the growth of renewable energy and the decline of fossil fuels.

While global electricity demand is unquestionably rising, we may nonetheless be underestimating the scale of necessary future generation. In this episode, Shayle speaks to Nic Fulghum, senior energy and climate data analyst at Ember. Nic is the co-author of Ember’s annual Global Electricity Review. This year’s installment, released in April, demonstrates that renewable sources – and solar in particular – are continuing to grow exponentially, even as those markets mature. In 2025, solar generation grew by a remarkable 30% year-over-year globally; its highest rate in eight years. At the same time, global fossil generation declined in 2025, driven by drops in coal generation in both China and India. But as solar surges, how quickly grid-connected batteries can step in to absorb peak demand remains to be seen. In their conversation, Shayle and Nic dive deep into the data behind global electricity generation in 2025 and consider the future of the grid. They explore a range of topics, including: - Why Ember’s report focuses on generation instead of capacity - How solar continues to maintain exponential growth rates - Why fossil generation has dropped in China and India - How battery…

People in this episode

Host: Shayle Kann

Guest: Nic Fulghum

Topics covered

• global electricity generation
• renewable energy
• solar power
• fossil fuels
• battery storage
• energy demand

Keywords

• electricity generation
• renewable sources
• solar growth
• fossil generation
• battery storage
• energy data

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: Ember

Books & works: Ember’s Global Electricity Review 2026, Catalyst: 2026 trends: Gas turbines, Texas’ load queue, and China electrifies, Catalyst: More 2026 trends: Solar co

Places: China, India

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