Solar generation overtook nuclear worldwide for the first time, WNISR finds
Serguey Asael Shinder1 min readGlobal solar generation exceeded nuclear generation for the first time in 2025, according to the World Nuclear Industry Status Report 2026, overseen by the French energy consultant Mycle Schneider and reported by pv magazine. Wind alone overtook nuclear on a monthly basis in March 2025, and solar followed in April, the first month in which global solar output was higher than nuclear.
From March 2025 to June 2026, either solar or wind on its own produced more electricity than nuclear in every month, and in March, April and May 2026 both did. The report puts 2025 solar capacity growth at 510 GW, to 2,383 GW, and wind at a record 159 GW, to 1,291 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; the report says nuclear capacity has been essentially flat for more than 25 years.
pv magazine notes that the report's solar figures are conservative: the IEA's photovoltaic programme puts 2025 additions at around 690 GW, about 180 GW more than WNISR used, which would widen the gap. Schneider pointed to investor caution in the nuclear sector, citing Holtec's postponed initial public offering and an 80% fall in Fermi's share price since its listing in October 2025.
What it means
Generation, not capacity, is the fairer comparison, because a nuclear plant runs far more hours a year than a solar farm, and on that measure the crossover is now in the data. It does not settle what a grid needs at night or in winter; it does show where the new electricity is actually coming from.