Record renewables growth led by solar helped push clean power to reach 40.9 percent of global electricity last year, a new report from UK-based energy think tank Ember said.

The report, Global Electricity Review 2025, published Tuesday on Ember's official website, said that 2024 was the first year that low-carbon sources delivered more than 40 percent of global electricity since the 1940s, when the global electricity system was 50 times smaller than it is today.

Hydro remained the largest contributor, providing 14.3 percent of global electricity generation in 2024, followed by nuclear at 9.0 percent. Despite remaining the two largest sources of low-carbon electricity, hydro and nuclear are not increasing their share, with nuclear's share falling to a 45-year low last year.

The global share of wind (8.1 percent) and solar (6.9 percent) is rapidly increasing. Combined, solar and wind generation surpassed hydropower output for the first time.

Solar power has become the engine of the global energy transition, with both solar generation and capacity installations setting new records in 2024, the report said.

Ember Managing Director Phil MacDonald said that paired with battery storage, solar is set to be an unstoppable force.

However, heatwaves contributed to high growth in electricity demand, which resulted in a small increase in fossil generation, driving up power sector emissions to an all-time high, the report said.

The report highlights two major global trends that will dominate the global power system over the rest of the decade: solar power is on a trajectory of exponential growth, and electricity demand remains strong.