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Global solar power generation exceeded nuclear generation in 2025 for the first time, according to the World Nuclear Industry Status Report 2026. The report says solar and wind each outgenerated nuclear in every month from March 2025 through June 2026, while solar capacity additions and output grew far faster than nuclear generation. Its solar capacity estimate is conservative compared with later data cited by pv magazine Global.
Solar power generated more electricity than nuclear globally in 2025, the first time it has done so on an annual basis, according to the World Nuclear Industry Status Report (WNISR) 2026. The report, covered by pv magazine Global on September 29, says the shift reflects rapid growth in solar generation alongside much slower expansion in nuclear output.
The report says the monthly crossover came earlier: wind generation exceeded nuclear in March 2025, followed by solar in April. From March 2025 through June 2026, at least one of the two renewable sources generated more electricity than nuclear in every month. In March, April and May 2026, both solar and wind individually surpassed nuclear generation.
In 2025, global solar capacity rose by 510 gigawatts (GW), reaching 2,383 GW, a 27% year-on-year increase, according to WNISR. Wind capacity added 159 GW to reach 1,291 GW, up 14%. The report put installed nuclear capacity’s net increase at 1.5 GW, to 399.5 GW, while operating nuclear capacity declined by 0.5 GW to 368.6 GW.
WNISR reported that solar generation jumped 30% in 2025, while output from the global nuclear fleet increased 1.1%. Nuclear plants generated 2,703 terawatt-hours (TWh), with growth largely driven by a 7.6% rise in China. Outside China, nuclear generation fell 0.2%, the report says. These are the report’s figures and comparisons; the solar capacity estimate is not the only available estimate for 2025.
Solar’s Rapid Growth Widens the Gap
The crossover marks a change in the relative scale of two major electricity sources, but it does not mean solar has replaced nuclear or that the two technologies provide identical services. The report’s central point is the difference in growth rates: solar generation and capacity expanded quickly, while nuclear output and operating capacity changed little by comparison.
That shift matters for power systems and investment decisions. The report links continued solar expansion in part to falling battery costs, which can help manage variable generation and periods when electricity prices are low or negative. Grid-scale battery deployment accelerated in 2025, when 104 GW and 257 gigawatt-hours (GWh) were connected, according to WNISR. More than 78% of cumulative battery storage capacity had been installed from 2023 through 2025.
The comparison is about electricity generated over a period, not simply installed capacity. Generation varies with operating conditions, weather, and when plants are available. The report’s figures show a notable global shift, while leaving room for different national electricity mixes and for the role of other generation sources.
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Nuclear Output and Build Rates
WNISR says nuclear’s share of global electricity generation fell to 8.8% in 2025, its lowest level in four and a half decades, compared with a peak of 17.5% in 1996. The report describes nuclear capacity as essentially flat over more than 25 years, while solar and wind expanded rapidly.
The report records four reactors beginning to supply electricity in 2025 and seven closures, the first negative annual reactor balance since 2021. At the same time, the construction pipeline grew: 73 reactors were under construction as of July 1, 2026, the highest count since 1987, with 37 in China. The report says nine of every 10 reactors under construction were in Asia or Eastern Europe.
Construction delays remain part of the picture. None of the 16 reactors connected to the grid from 2023 to 2025 finished on schedule, and their average construction time was 10.9 years, according to WNISR. Of 13 reactors scheduled to begin generating in 2025, four did so that year. The report also notes that construction starts accelerated to 12 in 2025, nine of them in China.
“The reality of the nuclear industry on the ground is quite sobering for those who expected to find a booming sector.”
— Mycle Schneider, WNISR overseer, speaking to pv magazine Global
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How the Solar Estimates Compare
The report’s solar capacity additions are described as relatively conservative. pv magazine Global says more recent data from IEA PVPS put global photovoltaic additions at around 690 GW in 2025, about 180 GW above WNISR’s 510 GW figure. That difference suggests the capacity gap may be wider, but the figures come from different estimates and should not be treated as a single settled measurement.
The source material does not provide the underlying monthly generation totals, the full calculation methods, or a separate annual figure for solar and nuclear generation. The reported annual crossover is attributed to WNISR, and monthly comparisons are given through June 2026; what happened after that month is not established in the supplied material.
The report also discusses small modular reactors but the supplied account ends before giving its full findings on them. Their commercial progress cannot be assessed from the material provided here. More broadly, the generation comparison does not by itself settle questions about costs, reliability, grid integration, or the future pace of new nuclear construction.
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Watch Generation and Storage Data
The next useful evidence will be updated global generation data covering the months after June 2026, along with comparable annual figures for solar and nuclear. Those would show whether the monthly pattern reported by WNISR continued through the rest of 2026.
Capacity estimates also merit comparison as agencies publish or revise 2025 totals. The gap between WNISR’s solar additions estimate and the IEA PVPS figure cited by pv magazine makes the source and method behind each number relevant to tracking the pace of growth.
For the broader power-system picture, future reporting will show whether battery deployment keeps pace with variable renewable generation and how nuclear construction projects advance against their schedules. WNISR’s current figures describe a large construction pipeline, but its record of delays means planned reactors should not be counted as operating supply before they generate electricity.
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Key Questions
What does it mean that solar surpassed nuclear?
According to WNISR 2026, solar generated more electricity globally than nuclear over the full year 2025. This refers to electricity produced, not installed capacity.
When did solar first exceed nuclear in a monthly comparison?
The report says solar generation was higher in April 2025. Wind had exceeded nuclear a month earlier, in March 2025.
Did solar and wind continue to outgenerate nuclear?
WNISR says that from March 2025 through June 2026, either solar or wind individually generated more electricity than nuclear in every month. Both sources did so independently in March, April and May 2026.
How fast did solar capacity grow in 2025?
WNISR estimated that solar capacity increased by 510 GW to 2,383 GW, a 27% rise. pv magazine Global also cited an IEA PVPS estimate of around 690 GW in additions, indicating that estimates differ.
Does the report say nuclear power is disappearing?
No. WNISR reports 411 operating reactors in 31 countries as of July 1, 2026, excluding 30 units in long-term outage, and 73 reactors under construction. Its finding is that nuclear generation grew much more slowly than solar in 2025.
Source: hn
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