Solar surpasses nuclear power globally for first time

Solar power generated more electricity worldwide than nuclear power for the first time, according to a new industry report. Wind passed nuclear on a monthly basis back in March 2025, and solar followed in April. From then through mid-2026, solar or wind individually outproduced nuclear nearly every month.

The gap is widening fast. Global solar capacity grew 27% in 2025, and some estimates put new solar additions even higher than the report's own numbers. Wind capacity grew 14%. Nuclear capacity, by contrast, has barely moved in 25 years and actually declined slightly in operating terms last year. Falling battery prices are helping solar and wind expand further, since batteries let grids store power for use when the sun isn't shining or wind isn't blowing. Battery storage installations jumped sharply in 2025.

None of this changes what's available to homeowners right now — rebates and incentives for home solar, batteries, or heat pumps depend on your own state and utility programs, not on this global shift. But it's a sign of where the broader electricity system is heading: solar and wind are scaling up quickly and getting cheaper, while nuclear construction remains slow and expensive almost everywhere except China and Russia. New nuclear designs marketed as smaller and cheaper — called small modular reactors — are still mostly stuck in early development, despite years of promises. For someone weighing a home solar or battery investment, the underlying technology trend continues to point toward cheaper, more available renewable power on the grid.