The Statistical Review of World Energy 2026 is out, offering the first complete look at global energy data for 2025. The report's 75th edition, now presented in partnership with the energy think tank Ember, reveals a year in which demand for every form of energy hit a new record high.
But growing overall demand, even for fossil fuels, doesn't mean the energy transition isn't happening. Renewables grew more than any other form of energy for the first time outside of a recession, with solar power accounting for 72% of the increase. And global electrification reached a tipping point, with electricity demand growing 3%, faster than energy supply overall. China alone added the equivalent of Germany's entire annual electricity consumption in a single year. These are just a few of the indications that the future of global energy use is increasingly electric, even as regional paths differ.
In 2025, rising electricity demand was met entirely by low-carbon sources, with renewables and hydro overtaking coal as the largest source of generation. Fossil generation fell overall, demonstrating that fossil fuels are being substituted rather than supplemented.
Solar and storage are clearly taking the lead in the global energy system, and they're not looking back, as global battery storage capacity grew 66% last year alone. Solar already produces more electricity than gas in major parts of the world, and its lead in power generation will only grow.
In this episode, we are joined by Aditya Lolla, Interim Managing Director at Ember, and Euan Graham, Senior Electricity and Data Analyst at Ember and a lead author of the report, to share the key findings from this new update on all the energy data that matters.
We'll dig into the report's new total energy supply measure, which we explored in Episode #259. We'll hear how China's road fuel demand is now falling, redefining the assumed long tai
Aditya Lolla is Interim Managing Director and Asia Programme Director for Ember.
Aditya Lolla is Interim Managing Director at Ember, the global energy think tank. Over the past nine months, he has led the organisation while continuing to shape Ember’s work on Asia. He was previously responsible for developing Ember’s strategy and workstreams in Asia, building Ember’s data-led research portfolio on the region and leveraging it to support governments across the region in accelerating the clean energy transition. His work focuses on how clean electricity, electrification and energy security are reshaping energy systems globally.
Earlier in his career, he managed large renewable power projects that covered about 50,000 homes in India and led on a World Bank funded project to develop new bioenergy technologies. He holds a Master of Public Policy from the University of Oxford and an MSc in Sustainable Energy Systems from the University of Edinburgh.
On LinkedIn: http://www.linkedin.com/in/adityalolla
On the Web: https://ember-energy.org/people/aditya-lolla/
Euan Graham is Senior Electricity and Data Analyst for Ember.
Euan re-joined Ember in 2024, having been part of the original Ember team when it was founded. He is part of the Global Programme team, where he leads work on electrification.
He has been an author for several of Ember’s flagship reports, including the Global Electricity Review and China Energy Transition Review, and will be a lead author of the Statistical Review of World Energy, in partnership with the Energy Institute.
Euan holds a masters degree in Physics from the University of Oxford, where he specialised in analysing global climate models. In previous roles, Euan led work on oil and gas phaseout at the independent energy thinktank E3G, and on electricity market reform at Citizens Advice, the consumer advocate for the energy sector in England and Wales.
On LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/euan-graham-783774111/).
On the Web: https://ember-energy.org/people/euan-graham/
Recording date: June 29, 2026
Air date: July 15, 2026
Geek rating: 6