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Solar and wind now outgenerate coal across the Western G7

Original title: Electricity generation from solar and wind compared to coal · Our World in Data · 30 Jun 2026

Solar and wind now outgenerate coal across the Western G7

Chart: Our World in Data, CC BY 4.0

So what

In 1990 coal dwarfed solar and wind everywhere; by 2025 the positions had flipped in all six countries shown, including the US (853 vs 737 TWh). Britain has all but eliminated coal power, and Germany's renewables now generate twice its coal output. For utilities and coal miners, Western thermal coal is a run-off business; the growth market for coal is Asia, which this chart does not show.

LabelValueUnitPeriod
United States solar and wind generation3.1875627TWh1990
United States coal generation1725.1552TWh1990
United States solar and wind generation853.21TWh2025
United States coal generation737.15TWh2025
Germany solar and wind generation0.07TWh1990
Germany coal generation310.04TWh1990
Germany solar and wind generation225.65TWh2025
Germany coal generation103.15TWh2025
United Kingdom solar and wind generation0.01TWh1990
United Kingdom coal generation206.44TWh1990
United Kingdom solar and wind generation105.159996TWh2025
United Kingdom coal generation0.33TWh2025
France solar and wind generation0TWh1990
France coal generation31.47TWh1990
France solar and wind generation78.31TWh2025
France coal generation1.74TWh2025
Italy solar and wind generation0TWh1990
Italy coal generation32.05TWh1990
Italy solar and wind generation66.11TWh2025
Italy coal generation3.73TWh2025
Canada solar and wind generation0.001919192TWh1990
Canada coal generation82.22TWh1990
Canada solar and wind generation61.65TWh2025
Canada coal generation26.68TWh2025