Solar overtakes nuclear in annual generation

For decades nuclear generated more electricity than solar worldwide. The pv magazine Global weekly edition reports that the order has flipped: solar passed nuclear in annual generation for the first time. The article credits the World Nuclear Industry Status Report 2026, which puts nuclear at 2,703 TWh in 2025.

The independent reading comes from Ember. In the Global Electricity Review 2026, dated 22 June 2026, solar reaches 2,778 TWh generated in 2025 and 647 GW of additions, below the roughly 690 GW pv magazine cites from IEA-PVPS. The datasets differ on counting and agree on direction.

The milestone is about energy, not availability. The same edition reports that India may commission 45 to 50 GWh of storage. For anyone buying and selling power, solar now sets volume, and the delivery hour still sets price.

The consequence is portfolio design. A new solar project competes less on volume and more on delivering when the system needs it, which moves value toward storage and toward contracts with a defined hourly profile.