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Energy Transition Closes 2025 With Record Clean Power, Storage Gains—and New Strains From AI and Policy Fights

AI data centers are turning electricity into the new bottleneck for a policy-shaken transition.

Overview

  • Global clean electricity output rose 15.4% in January–November and wind plus solar met all new demand in the first three quarters, according to Ember analyses.
  • Installed U.S. battery storage surpassed 39 GW, up 43% year over year, supplying roughly 15–18% of CAISO’s evening peaks and about 3% in ERCOT.
  • China topped 40% clean power in its utility mix for the first time and recorded more than $180 billion in clean‑tech exports, led by $66 billion in storage systems and $54 billion in EVs.
  • U.S. federal rollbacks cut renewable incentives as coal generation jumped 13% through November, lifting power‑sector CO2 emissions 3% from 2024.
  • Rapidly growing data‑center loads are reshaping grid planning as FEOC rules begin to constrain battery procurement in 2026 and the U.S. Supreme Court reviews presidential tariff authority.