Wind and solar to meet majority of power demand to 2035

China remains to be a major player.

Wind and solar power generation are expected to meet over 80% of the increase in electricity demand out to 2035, led by China.

“Solar generation continues to grow more rapidly than wind power, reflecting faster declines in costs, shorter deployment timelines and greater policy support. This large expansion in wind and solar means that power systems need to enhance their resilience to increasing generation from variable sources,” BP said in its Energy Outlook 2025.

Achieving this resilience will need increased flexible generation and energy storage, greater demand-side responsiveness, more advanced grid technologies and enhanced interconnections.

Low-carbon power generation is further boosted by steady growth in hydropower, which rises by around 25% by 2035, and by some renewed growth in nuclear generation. Meanwhile, geothermal generation rises but remains a very small proportion of total power generation.

Meanwhile, the share of coal power, which falls from around 35% of global generation in 2023 to a little above 20% in 2035, is driven primarily by declining coal use in China.

“In contrast, the level of natural gas-powered generation rises by around 30% between 2023 and 2035, such that its share of total global generation falls only slightly. A third of that increase in gas-powered generation is in the US, with most of the rest in emerging economies,” the report read.