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The World Nuclear Industry Status Report 2026 says global solar generation exceeded nuclear output for the first time in 2025, after solar passed nuclear in a monthly comparison in April. Solar and wind each generated more electricity than nuclear in every month from March 2025 through June 2026, while the report records much faster growth in renewable capacity than in nuclear capacity.
Global solar power generated more electricity than nuclear power in 2025, the first time it has done so, according to the World Nuclear Industry Status Report 2026. The report says solar generation rose by 30% during the year, while nuclear output increased by 1.1%, marking a shift in the global electricity mix as renewable capacity expanded far faster than nuclear capacity.
The report, overseen by French nuclear energy consultant Mycle Schneider, says wind first exceeded nuclear generation in a monthly comparison in March 2025, followed by solar in April. From March 2025 through June 2026, either solar or wind individually generated more electricity than nuclear in every month. Both technologies did so separately in March, April and May 2026.
In 2025, global solar capacity rose by 510 gigawatts to 2,383 GW, a 27% annual increase, according to the report. Wind capacity grew by a record 159 GW to 1,291 GW, up 14%. Installed nuclear capacity increased by 1.5 GW to 399.5 GW, while operating nuclear capacity fell by 0.5 GW to 368.6 GW.
The report’s solar capacity estimate is conservative compared with a later estimate from IEA PVPS, cited by pv magazine Global. That source puts 2025 global photovoltaic additions at about 690 GW, roughly 180 GW above the WNISR figure. The two figures use different estimates; the higher one would imply faster solar expansion, but it does not change the report’s stated generation comparison.
Renewables Outgrow Nuclear Generation
The comparison matters because it shows how quickly the electricity balance is changing: solar’s reported 30% generation growth in 2025 contrasted with a 1.1% rise in nuclear output. Nuclear supplied 8.8% of global electricity, its lowest share in four and a half decades, according to the report. The figure is a share of electricity generation, not a measure of total energy use.
Rapid growth also brings grid-management demands. The report points to falling battery costs and expanding storage as potential support for adding variable solar and wind generation. It records 104 GW and 257 gigawatt-hours of grid-scale battery storage connected in 2025, while cautioning that the growth of renewables can coincide with low or negative electricity prices. The figures do not by themselves establish how reliably storage can meet demand across different grids.
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A Wider Gap in Capacity Growth
The report describes nuclear growth as concentrated in China and Russia. In 2025, four reactors began supplying electricity and seven closed, producing a net decline of three reactors for the year. Nuclear generation rose 7.6% in China but fell 0.2% outside China, where output remained below its 2006 level.
That pattern extends across the longer period covered by the report. Between 2006 and 2025, 104 reactors started up and 106 closed. China accounted for 53 of the startups and no closures; outside China, the net reactor count fell by 55. Meanwhile, the construction pipeline has grown: 73 reactors were under construction as of July 1, 2026, including 37 in China.
Construction activity does not equal electricity already being generated. The report says none of the 16 reactors connected to the grid from 2023 through 2025 finished on schedule, and their average construction time was 10.9 years. Of 13 reactors scheduled to begin generating in 2025, four did so.
“The reality of the nuclear industry on the ground is quite sobering for those who expected to find a booming sector.”
— Mycle Schneider, overseer of the World Nuclear Industry Status Report, speaking to pv magazine Global
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Limits of the Global Comparison
The report gives the global annual generation finding and monthly comparisons through June 2026, but the supplied material does not provide a country-by-country breakdown of solar and nuclear generation or the underlying calculation details. Its solar capacity estimate also differs from the higher 2025 additions reported by IEA PVPS. The available information does not explain the full methodological difference between those estimates.
The figures describe electricity generation and installed capacity; they do not compare the technologies’ costs, emissions across their full life cycles, or ability to provide power at every hour. Nor does the report’s construction pipeline show how many reactors will finish on time or enter service as planned. Its conclusions about nuclear’s prospects and investor confidence are the report’s assessment, not a guarantee of future outcomes.
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Track Output and Projects
The next useful comparisons will be updated generation data for the months after June 2026 and final annual figures for 2026, which can show whether the monthly pattern continues. Readers will also be able to compare revised solar capacity estimates with the report’s conservative figure as data providers publish further updates.
For nuclear power, the relevant milestones include whether reactors under construction are completed and connected to grids, and whether projects meet their expected schedules. The 2026 report identifies 73 units under construction as of July 1, but the supplied material does not give a forecast for how many will begin operating in the coming year.
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Key Questions
When did solar first exceed nuclear generation?
According to the World Nuclear Industry Status Report 2026, solar first exceeded nuclear in a monthly comparison in April 2025. The report says solar also surpassed nuclear for the full year of 2025.
Did wind also generate more electricity than nuclear?
Yes. The report says wind passed nuclear generation in a monthly comparison in March 2025. From March 2025 through June 2026, either solar or wind individually outgenerated nuclear each month.
How quickly did solar capacity grow in 2025?
WNISR 2026 reports that solar capacity increased by 510 GW to 2,383 GW, a 27% rise. IEA PVPS data cited by pv magazine Global gives a higher estimate of about 690 GW in photovoltaic additions for 2025, so published estimates differ.
Does this mean nuclear generation is falling everywhere?
No. The report says global nuclear generation rose 1.1% in 2025, driven largely by a 7.6% increase in China. Output outside China fell 0.2%.
What does the report say about nuclear projects under construction?
It counted 73 reactors under construction as of July 1, 2026, the highest number since 1987, with 37 in China. The report also says recent projects have faced delays: none of the 16 reactors connected during 2023–2025 finished on schedule.
Source: hn
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