The world ‘entered the age of electricity’
Fossil fuels are losing their grip on the global energy market as renewables provide a greater share of power.
That’s according to a global energy review by the International Energy Agency (IEA), which declared that “the world has entered the age of electricity”, with many economies now electrifying at pace.
Overall demand for energy continued to rise in 2025, the report found, with a quarter of new demand met by solar – the first time that a renewable source met the largest share of demand growth.
The IEA also highlighted the growing role of batteries in electricity grids. Battery storage, it said, was the fastest-growing power sector technology in 2025, a trend that’s likely to accelerate.
It wasn’t all good news, however. Demand for oil, gas and coal also grew in 2025 (by 0.7%, 1% and 0.4% respectively), albeit at a slower rate than in 2024. The rollout of electric cars, sales of which surged by 20%, kept oil demand “in check”, the IEA said.
Still, global energy related emissions still increased by 0.4% last year, when they needed to be rapidly falling. In one sign of hope, however, the IEA confirmed what other researchers had found: that China’s emissions contracted in 2025.
Image: Nikola Jonny Mirkovic