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The World Nuclear Industry Status Report 2026 says global solar generation exceeded nuclear generation for the first time in 2025. Solar output rose 30%, while nuclear output increased 1.1%; the report also says solar or wind individually generated more electricity than nuclear in every month from March 2025 through June 2026.
Solar power generated more electricity than nuclear power worldwide in 2025, marking the first time it has surpassed nuclear on an annual basis, according to the World Nuclear Industry Status Report 2026. The report says global solar generation jumped 30% that year, compared with a 1.1% increase in nuclear output, underscoring how quickly the two power sources are growing at different rates.
The report, overseen by French nuclear energy consultant Mycle Schneider, also tracks the monthly crossover. Wind generation exceeded nuclear for the first time in March 2025, followed by solar in April. From March 2025 through June 2026, either solar or wind individually produced more electricity than nuclear each month. In March, April and May 2026, both sources separately generated more than nuclear.
Capacity additions show a similar difference in pace. WNISR estimates that global solar capacity grew by 510 gigawatts in 2025, reaching 2,383 GW, while wind added a record 159 GW to reach 1,291 GW. Installed nuclear capacity rose by 1.5 GW to 399.5 GW, although the report’s measure of operating nuclear capacity fell by 0.5 GW to 368.6 GW.
The report’s solar capacity estimate is relatively conservative. It notes that more recent figures from IEA PVPS put 2025 global photovoltaic additions at around 690 GW, about 180 GW above the WNISR figure. That difference concerns capacity additions, not the report’s generation comparison. The two measures should not be treated as interchangeable: capacity describes potential output, while generation measures electricity actually produced.
Why Solar’s Growth Changes the Mix
The crossover marks a shift in the global electricity mix, but it does not mean nuclear generation has stopped growing. Nuclear plants produced 2,703 terawatt-hours in 2025, up 1.1% year on year, while solar grew much faster from its expanding base. Nuclear’s share of global electricity fell to 8.8%, its lowest level in four and a half decades, according to the report.
Rapid renewable growth also brings a practical grid challenge: solar and wind output varies with weather and time of day. WNISR points to falling battery costs and expanding storage as potential supports for integrating more renewable electricity. It reports that 104 GW and 257 GWh of grid-scale battery storage were connected during 2025, with more than 78% of cumulative battery energy storage capacity installed from 2023 to 2025. Those figures indicate faster deployment, but do not by themselves establish how much storage is needed or how reliably it can meet demand across different grids.
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Nuclear Output and Build Pipeline
The nuclear figures reflect contrasting trends by country. China’s nuclear generation rose 7.6% in 2025; outside China, it declined by 0.2% and remained below its 2006 level. The report says four reactors began supplying electricity in 2025 and seven closed, producing a net decline for the year. It also records 73 reactors under construction as of July 1, 2026, the highest count since 1987, with 37 in China.
Construction activity has not consistently translated into timely delivery. None of the 16 reactors connected to the grid during 2023–2025 finished on schedule, and their average construction period was 10.9 years, according to WNISR. Of 13 reactors scheduled to begin generating in 2025, four did so. The report also notes that 12 construction projects started in 2025, 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
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Limits of the Generation Comparison
The report establishes the crossover using its estimates of worldwide electricity generation, but the supplied report summary does not provide a full methodology or detailed country-by-country solar generation figures. Its PV capacity additions also differ from the higher 2025 estimate cited from IEA PVPS. That discrepancy does not itself overturn the reported generation result, but readers should keep the distinction between capacity and actual output clear.
The crossover is a comparison of annual totals, not evidence that solar supplied more electricity than nuclear in every place or at every hour. The report describes monthly global comparisons through June 2026, but the figures do not show how individual countries’ power mixes, grid conditions or storage needs differ. Nuclear output’s future path, and the pace at which batteries can support variable renewable supply, remain open questions.
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Tracking Output and Storage
The next useful comparison will be whether the annual generation gap continues to widen in subsequent data, alongside changes in nuclear output and new renewable installations. Grid operators and analysts will also be watching whether battery deployment keeps pace with rising solar and wind generation, and how storage is used during periods of low renewable output or electricity prices.
For nuclear power, the report’s construction pipeline provides a separate measure to follow: reactors listed as under construction still need to be completed and connected to grids. WNISR says construction delays remain widespread. The available material does not specify a single upcoming milestone that will resolve the broader comparison; future generation and capacity data will show whether 2025 marked a lasting shift or a year in which solar’s growth temporarily carried it past nuclear.
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Key Questions
Did solar generate more electricity than nuclear in 2025?
Yes. WNISR 2026 says global solar generation exceeded nuclear generation for the first time on an annual basis in 2025. It reports solar generation growth of 30% and nuclear output growth of 1.1% that year.
Did solar exceed nuclear every month?
Not according to the report’s timeline. Solar first exceeded nuclear on a monthly basis in April 2025. From March 2025 through June 2026, either solar or wind individually generated more than nuclear each month; both did so in March, April and May 2026.
Does this mean nuclear power generation fell in 2025?
No. The report says nuclear generation rose 1.1% to 2,703 TWh in 2025. Growth was concentrated in China, where output increased 7.6%; output outside China declined by 0.2%.
Why do solar capacity figures differ between reports?
WNISR estimates 510 GW of solar capacity additions in 2025, while figures from IEA PVPS cited in the source put additions at around 690 GW. The report characterizes its own PV estimate as conservative. These figures concern capacity added, not electricity generated.
Source: hn
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