Why this score Intergovernmental energy body. Authoritative global energy statistics and projections; scenario ranges are wide.
Solar will overtake nuclear, wind, hydro, gas and, finally, coal, to become the world’s single-largest source of electricity by 2033.
Not yet due. Solar passed wind for the first time in 2025 and closed on nuclear, reaching 2,778 TWh — but coal still supplied 10,476 TWh, so the projection requires solar to roughly quadruple within eight years.
Renewables will overtake coal to become the world’s number one source of electricity in the early 2030s.
False, and in the direction the outlook was criticised for at the time: renewables passed coal in 2025, supplying 33.8% of world electricity against coal’s 33.0%, at least five years before the projected window opened. The figure came from a central scenario that assumed governments would miss many of their own clean-energy targets.