Energy Institute

In 2025, wind and solar power generated 44% of Germany's electricity, surpassing fossil fuels for the first time. Renewables grew under the Energiewende strategy, despite opposition from the AfD and government plans for gas plants. The EU as a whole also saw wind and solar overtake fossil fuels in 2025.

Global energy consumption in 2025 reached record levels with fossil fuels supplying 86% of total use, despite renewable energy growth. President Trump's push to expand U.S. oil and gas production is highlighted as a strategy to lower costs and strengthen energy security amid geopolitical tensions affecting energy supply routes like the Strait of Hormuz.

A 2025 report shows fossil fuels account for 86% of global energy use despite renewable growth, aligning with President Trump's push to expand U.S. oil and gas production to lower prices and boost energy security. The U.S. led in oil and natural gas production, while geopolitical tensions in the Strait of Hormuz highlighted risks to energy markets.

The article discusses ten key insights from the Energy Institute’s 75th annual Statistical Review of World Energy, focusing on the debate between energy transition and energy addition.

Renewables were the largest source of global energy supply growth in 2025, driven by solar energy which accounted for 72% of the increase. China set new records in solar and wind energy but is stockpiling fossil fuels, while U.S. emissions rose 3.2% and battery storage costs fell 45%. The Iran war accelerated efforts to reduce reliance on Gulf oil and gas.

The US accounted for about a third of the 2025 global CO₂ emissions increase, driven by a 10% rise in coal consumption as higher gas prices pushed power producers back to coal. Global energy sector emissions rose 1.1% to 35,806 million metric tons, with renewable energy growth led by a 30% surge in solar power.

Clean power was the largest source of new energy in 2025, with wind and solar combined contributing more than any individual fossil fuel. Fossil fuels met 86.2% of global energy supply but faced record-low shares, while electricity demand grew 3% with all new power from low-carbon sources. China generated more power than the US, EU, and India combined.