Surprising trends in global electricity generation
Notes de l’épisode
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 storage is being used to shift midday solar peaks to shoulder hours
- What the US’ LNG supply glut means for its power grid trajectory
Resources
- Ember’s Global Electricity Review 2026
- Catalyst: 2026 trends: Gas turbines, Texas’ load queue, and China electrifies
- Catalyst: More 2026 trends: Solar costs, oil oversupply, and the startup slump
- Catalyst: Scaling America’s domestic solar supply chain
- Open Circuit: Clean energy didn’t collapse in 2025. It adapted
- Open Circuit: State of the transition: Oil shocks, power prices, and grid bottlenecks
- Latitude Media: The Iran war doesn’t give China an energy advantage. The US did
- Latitude Media: Putting numbers on China’s cleantech influence abroad
Credits: Hosted by Shayle Kann. Produced and edited by Max Savage Levenson. Original music and engineering by Sean Marquand. Stephen Lacey is our executive editor.
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