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Global solar generation exceeded nuclear generation for the first time in 2025, according to the World Nuclear Industry Status Report 2026. The report says solar output rose 30% while nuclear output increased 1.1%; monthly data show solar moved ahead in April 2025, and either solar or wind individually outgenerated nuclear in every month through June 2026.
Global solar power generated more electricity than nuclear power in 2025 for the first time, according to the World Nuclear Industry Status Report (WNISR) 2026. The report says solar generation grew 30% year over year, while nuclear output rose 1.1%, marking a shift in the relative contribution of the two sources to global electricity supply.
The report, overseen by French nuclear energy consultant Mycle Schneider, says wind first outgenerated nuclear on a monthly basis in March 2025, followed by solar in April. From March 2025 through June 2026, either solar or wind individually generated more electricity than nuclear each month. Both did so in March, April and May 2026.
Solar and wind capacity grew much faster than nuclear capacity in the report’s 2025 comparison. Solar capacity increased by 510 gigawatts to 2,383 GW, a 27% rise, while wind added a record 159 GW to reach 1,291 GW, up 14%. Installed nuclear capacity increased by 1.5 GW to 399.5 GW, even as operating nuclear capacity fell by 0.5 GW to 368.6 GW.
The report’s solar-capacity estimate is conservative, it says. It used a figure below later data from IEA PVPS, which put 2025 global photovoltaic additions at around 690 GW—about 180 GW more than the WNISR figure. Those estimates concern capacity additions, not electricity generation, and should not be confused with the report’s 30% comparison of solar output growth.
Solar’s Output Growth Widens the Gap
The comparison points to a changing mix in global electricity generation: solar’s annual output overtook nuclear even as nuclear generation increased slightly. The distinction matters because generation measures electricity produced, while installed capacity measures potential output under operating conditions. The two figures describe related but different aspects of the power system.
The report also highlights the rapid expansion of grid-scale batteries alongside variable renewable generation. It says 104 GW of battery power capacity, representing 257 gigawatt-hours of storage, was connected during 2025, and more than 78% of cumulative battery energy-storage capacity had been installed from 2023 through 2025. The report presents falling battery costs as a potential support for continued solar growth; it does not establish that batteries eliminate the challenges of balancing variable generation.
Nuclear power remains a substantial electricity source, but its share of global generation fell to 8.8% in 2025, the report’s lowest figure in four and a half decades. The contrast between that share and fast-growing solar output is relevant to decisions about future generation investment, grid expansion and storage. It does not, by itself, settle how different power sources will perform in individual countries or what mix will provide reliable supply.
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Nuclear Output and Build Rates
WNISR reports that nuclear plants generated 2,703 terawatt-hours in 2025, up 1.1% from the previous year. The increase was driven largely by a 7.6% rise in China. Outside China, nuclear generation declined by 0.2% and remained below its 2006 level. The report says nuclear’s share of global electricity had peaked at 17.5% in 1996.
Four reactors began supplying electricity in 2025, while seven closed, producing a negative annual balance for the first time since 2021. The report counted 73 reactors under construction as of July 1, 2026, the highest total since 1987; China accounted for 37. Nine out of 10 projects under construction were in Asia or Eastern Europe.
New nuclear projects have also faced long schedules, according to the report. None of the 16 reactors connected to the grid between 2023 and 2025 finished on schedule, and their average construction period was 10.9 years. Of 13 reactors scheduled to begin generating in 2025, four did so. At the same time, construction starts rose to 12 in 2025, the highest annual total since 2010, with nine in China, two in Russia and one in South Korea.
“The reality of the nuclear industry on the ground is quite sobering for those who expected to find a booming sector.”
— Mycle Schneider, overseer of WNISR 2026, speaking to pv magazine
How the Figures Compare
The report establishes a global annual generation comparison for 2025 and gives monthly comparisons through June 2026, but the supplied material does not specify the underlying monthly generation totals or describe their data methodology in detail. The annual growth rates and the monthly crossover are reported findings; the article cannot independently verify them from the source material provided.
Capacity figures also depend on the estimates used. WNISR’s solar additions total is lower than the later IEA PVPS estimate cited in the report, so the exact scale of solar’s capacity expansion remains sensitive to the data series. That difference does not directly determine the generation comparison, which is a separate measure.
The report’s description of battery expansion does not quantify how much stored electricity was available at particular times or how storage affected grid reliability. Its material also notes limited progress on small modular reactors, but the supplied excerpt ends before giving the report’s full findings on their status. No firm conclusion about future nuclear or solar output follows from the 2025 comparison alone.
Future Output and Project Delivery
The next comparisons will show whether solar and wind continue to outgenerate nuclear month by month and whether solar maintains its annual lead. Updated generation and capacity data will also help clarify the effect of different estimates of 2025 photovoltaic additions.
For nuclear power, upcoming reactor start-ups, closures and construction schedules will shape whether operating capacity and output recover or remain constrained. WNISR’s reported construction pipeline is not a guarantee that projects will be completed on time. Battery additions and their role in integrating variable renewable generation are another area to watch as new figures become available.
Key Questions
Did solar surpass nuclear in electricity generation or installed capacity?
The headline finding concerns electricity generation: WNISR says solar produced more electricity than nuclear globally in 2025. The report separately compares installed capacity, which is not the same measure.
When did solar first exceed nuclear in a monthly comparison?
According to WNISR 2026, solar exceeded nuclear in April 2025. Wind had done so in March. Either solar or wind individually generated more than nuclear in every month from March 2025 through June 2026.
How much did solar and nuclear generation change in 2025?
The report says global solar generation rose 30% year over year, while nuclear generation increased by 1.1%. Nuclear output outside China declined by 0.2%.
Does this mean nuclear power is no longer significant?
No. Nuclear plants generated 2,703 TWh in 2025, and the report puts nuclear’s share of global electricity at 8.8%. Solar’s higher output in the annual comparison does not mean nuclear generation stopped or became negligible.
Why do solar-capacity estimates differ?
WNISR used a relatively conservative estimate for 2025 solar additions. The report cites IEA PVPS data of around 690 GW, about 180 GW higher than WNISR’s figure. Those are capacity-addition estimates, not generation totals.
Source: hn
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