Solar power quietly overtakes nuclear as a global electricity source

'It's offensively cheap': Solar power is quietly becoming bigger than nuclear

Solar provided just 1% of the world's electricity a decade ago; in 2025 it edged past nuclear, and by September 2026 it was producing 13% more, according to Ember data. The BBC credits record-low panel prices, Chinese manufacturing scale, battery cost declines, and rooftop booms from Pakistan to Australia. The remaining limits, experts say, are grids, storage, and how fast demand can be electrified.