In Short : Global solar power generation is expected to surpass nuclear generation by 2026, driven by rapid capacity growth, technological advances, and supportive policies. Solar output surged 34% in early 2025, exceeding nuclear’s monthly average. The International Energy Agency forecasts renewables, especially solar and wind, will lead electricity generation soon, marking a major shift toward cleaner, more affordable energy worldwide.
In Detail : Solar power generation globally is expected to surpass output from nuclear reactors for the first time this summer, reported Reuters.
As solar farms are dependent on sunlight and produce power only during the day, their annual output typically lags behind wind, nuclear and hydro power systems on annual basis.
But during peak production months, output from solar farms can easily surpass nearly all clean sources and reportedly already surpassed global wind output during the northern hemisphere summer from last year.
Solar Momentum Outpaces Expectations
According to the 2025 Renewable Energy Industry Outlook, Utility-scale solar and wind capacity additions were the largest across all primary generation sources, accounting for close to 90% of all new builds and expansions in the first nine months of 2024, versus 57% of capacity added for the same period in 2023, according to Deloitte’s analysis of data from the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission.
Solar capacity, driven by rapid growth in solar electricity generation, has hit new highs each year so far this decade, reported Reuters. Since 2020, large-scale solar generation has grown about 25% annually. In early 2025, solar output jumped 34% compared to the same period in 2024, thanks to major capacity expansions in key regions.
Reuters also stated that solar generation is expected to fall back below 250 TWh from September as daylight hours in the northern hemisphere – home to over three-quarters of the world’s solar farms – start to drop heading into winter.
Not just that, another 2023 report by International Energy Agency stated that solar PV is expected to surpass nuclear electricity generation in 2026.
According to a report by Ember, solar power grew by a record 474 terawatt-hours (TWh) in 2024. The biggest yearly jump ever and the fastest growth in six years (a 29% rise). It continues to grow rapidly, even as it becomes the main source of new electricity.
In fact, solar power has doubled every three years and reached 2,131 TWh in 2024. For the third year in a row, it added more electricity than any other source. If it follows this trend, as cited by Reuters, by registering around 30% more than the same month in 2024, global solar electricity output should exceed 260 terawatt hours (TWh) per month during June, July and August of this year.
