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The World Nuclear Industry Status Report 2026 says global solar generation exceeded nuclear power’s annual electricity output for the first time in 2025. Solar and wind each also outgenerated nuclear in every month from March 2025 through June 2026, while renewable capacity and battery storage grew much faster than nuclear capacity.
Solar power generated more electricity worldwide than nuclear power in 2025, marking the first time it has passed nuclear on an annual basis, according to the World Nuclear Industry Status Report (WNISR) 2026. The report describes a widening gap as solar and wind expand much faster than nuclear, although it does not mean that solar produced more power than nuclear in every country or at every hour.
WNISR says the monthly crossover came earlier: wind generation exceeded nuclear in March 2025, followed by solar in April. From March 2025 through June 2026, either solar or wind individually generated more electricity than nuclear each month. In March, April and May 2026, both did so. The report says global solar generation rose 30% in 2025, while nuclear generation increased 1.1%.
Capacity additions also differed sharply. The report puts solar capacity at 2,383 GW at the end of 2025, after a 510 GW increase, and wind capacity at 1,291 GW after adding a record 159 GW. Installed nuclear capacity rose by 1.5 GW to 399.5 GW, while operating nuclear capacity fell by 0.5 GW to 368.6 GW, according to the report. These are capacity figures, not the amount of electricity generated.
The report’s solar estimate is conservative relative to another source cited by pv magazine Global. IEA PVPS data indicate that photovoltaic additions reached about 690 GW in 2025, roughly 180 GW more than WNISR’s figure. That estimate would make solar’s capacity growth larger than the WNISR figures suggest; the two figures use different underlying estimates and should not be treated as identical measures.
Fast Renewable Growth Reshapes the Mix
The crossover matters because it reflects a change in the relative pace of power-sector expansion, not simply a one-year contest between technologies. Solar and wind have added capacity quickly, while nuclear output and capacity have grown more slowly in the report’s accounting. Nuclear still generated a substantial amount of electricity: WNISR records 2,703 TWh in 2025, equal to 8.8% of global electricity generation.
More variable solar and wind output also raises the importance of managing when electricity is available. WNISR reports that 104 GW of grid-scale battery power capacity, equivalent to 257 GWh of storage, was connected during 2025. Battery deployment can help shift electricity across time, but the report’s figures do not establish that storage alone can address every grid or reliability need. The generation crossover is therefore a marker of changing supply, not evidence that nuclear has become unnecessary or that all power systems have changed in the same way.
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Nuclear Capacity and Construction Trends
The report places the generation milestone alongside a long period of limited nuclear growth. It says nuclear capacity has remained broadly flat for more than 25 years, while solar and wind expanded rapidly. Nuclear’s share of world electricity fell to 8.8% in 2025, its lowest level in four and a half decades, compared with a reported peak of 17.5% in 1996.
Growth in nuclear generation was uneven. China’s output rose 7.6% in 2025, while generation outside China declined 0.2%, according to WNISR. Four reactors began supplying electricity during the year and seven closed. The report says 73 reactors were under construction as of July 1, 2026, including 37 in China, but also points to delays: none of the 16 reactors connected to the grid from 2023 to 2025 finished on schedule, and their average construction period was 10.9 years.
The report is overseen by Mycle Schneider, a French nuclear energy consultant. Its findings compare electricity generation and installed capacity, which are related but distinct indicators: capacity describes potential output at a moment in time, while generation measures electricity actually produced over a period.
“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
Limits of the Global Comparison
The report establishes a global annual crossover for 2025, but the source material does not provide country-by-country results or hourly comparisons. It therefore does not show where solar exceeded nuclear locally, how often that happened, or how electricity was balanced in each grid. The reported monthly comparisons run through June 2026; later monthly figures are not provided here.
Solar capacity additions also vary by source: WNISR estimates 510 GW, while IEA PVPS data cited by pv magazine put additions at about 690 GW. The reason for the difference is not detailed in the supplied report summary. The exact extent of the capacity gap depends on which estimate is used. The report’s broader arguments about nuclear project economics and prospects for small modular reactors are assessments; the annual generation comparison itself does not settle those questions.
Watch the Next Generation Figures
The next useful comparison will be whether solar continues to outgenerate nuclear in annual data for 2026, and whether the monthly pattern reported through June persists. Later generation and capacity statistics can show whether the 2025 crossover was sustained, while more detailed grid data would clarify how output varies by region and time.
For nuclear, upcoming reactor starts, closures, construction schedules and generation figures will show whether the construction pipeline translates into additional operating output. WNISR also points to battery deployment as a factor to track alongside renewables. The source material does not give a date for the next report or forecast a specific outcome.
Key Questions
What does it mean that solar surpassed nuclear?
It means global solar electricity generation exceeded global nuclear generation over the full year 2025, according to WNISR 2026. It does not mean solar outproduced nuclear in every country or at every hour.
When did solar first pass nuclear in a monthly comparison?
The report says solar generation exceeded nuclear in April 2025. Wind had already passed nuclear on a monthly basis in March 2025.
How much electricity did nuclear generate in 2025?
WNISR reports that nuclear plants generated 2,703 terawatt-hours in 2025, up 1.1% year over year. The report says output outside China declined by 0.2%.
Did solar capacity grow by 510 GW or 690 GW in 2025?
WNISR uses an estimate of 510 GW in solar capacity additions. IEA PVPS data cited by pv magazine Global put photovoltaic additions at about 690 GW. The supplied material does not explain the full methodological difference, so the figures should be attributed to their respective sources.
Does the crossover mean nuclear power is no longer important?
No. The report says nuclear still supplied 8.8% of global electricity in 2025. The crossover shows that solar generated more electricity globally over that year; it does not establish that nuclear is unnecessary or that every power system has the same generation mix.
Source: hn
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