Solar generation moved ahead of nuclear output worldwide in 2025 as panel and storage costs fell, Gulf News reported, highlighting the changing economics of the global power mix.
The outlet put solar generation at 2,778 terawatt-hours (TWh), about 13% more than nuclear reactors produced worldwide. A decade earlier, solar had generated 256 TWh, while nuclear output was about 2,576 TWh, Gulf News said.
The International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA) reported that the levelized cost of electricity from utility-scale solar fell 89% since 2010. Gulf News described solar generation as growing quickly enough to double roughly once every three years. It linked the expansion to large-scale production in China, which it said helped make lower-priced panels available across global markets. The outlet also pointed to falling battery costs and identified lower-income and middle-income countries as central to the current expansion.
Yale Environment 360's comparison covered emerging markets across Africa, Asia and Latin America: solar's share of electricity was above the U.S. level in about 63% of them. The publication cited Brazil, Chile, El Salvador, Morocco, Kenya and Namibia as examples. It also described Pakistan as a leading market for households adding rooftop panels with batteries.
Jan Rosenow of Oxford told the BBC that battery storage can shift some solar electricity generated around midday into evening use. Gulf News said combining solar and storage can cost less than new fossil-fuel plants in areas with abundant sunshine.
Energy security is another factor cited in the report. Gulf News said the war in Iran had unsettled energy markets, while investor David Frykman argued in Fortune that solar and wind offer power supplies foreign powers cannot cut off.
Solar construction in the United States continued after the Trump administration withdrew support for renewable energy, Gulf News reported. The outlet attributed to Alicia Zhao of the University of Maryland the view that solar remained among the less costly choices for new U.S. power generation across political divisions. Gulf News also described rooftop panels paired with batteries as a way for households to reduce electricity costs and keep power available during outages.
