Key facts
- Solar power generated 13% more electricity than nuclear power globally in 2025.
- Global solar generation in 2015 was 256 TWh, compared to nuclear's 2,576 TWh.
- Solar photovoltaic panel prices have dropped 90% since 2010.
- Many emerging markets now rely more on solar than the US.
- Solar plus storage is cheaper than new fossil fuel plants in sunny regions.
Solar power has surpassed nuclear power in global electricity generation, producing 13% more energy worldwide in 2025. This marks a dramatic shift from 2015, when nuclear power generated ten times more electricity than solar. The rapid growth of solar is driven by a 90% decrease in solar panel costs since 2010, making it the cheapest new energy source globally. Developing economies, in particular, are increasingly adopting solar, with many now exceeding the United States in their clean energy transitions. Advances in battery technology have also helped address solar's intermittency, making solar-plus-storage systems cheaper than new fossil fuel plants in sunny regions. This combination of low costs, energy storage, and energy independence is proving more influential than policy shifts.