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

illuminem summarises for you the essential news of the day, reviewed by our editorial team. Read the full piece on BBC or enjoy below:

🗞️ Driving the news: Solar power is rapidly reshaping the global electricity mix, overtaking nuclear generation in 2025 and widening its lead in 2026
• BBC analysis of Ember data shows solar generated 13% more electricity than nuclear over the 12 months to September 2026
• After supplying just 1% of global electricity a decade ago, solar is expected to reach around 10% in 2026

🔭 The context: Seven forces are driving solar’s rise: falling panel prices, large-scale Chinese manufacturing, global adoption, expensive and unreliable fossil-fuel electricity, cheaper batteries, electrification and emerging technologies
• In 2025, solar met three-quarters of the growth in global electricity demand
• Pakistan, for example, has increased solar’s share of electricity from less than 2% in 2019 to 24% today; yet the next phase depends on more than cheap panels
• Grid capacity, storage, electricity-system flexibility and access to imported equipment will determine how quickly solar can expand
• China’s policy changes may slow global growth in 2026, even as installations continue increasing elsewhere

🌍 Why it matters for the planet: Solar’s rapid expansion can reduce reliance on fossil fuels, cut power-sector emissions and limit the need for new coal plants
• However, maximising its climate benefits requires reliable grids, energy storage and a broader shift towards clean electricity across transport, buildings and industry

⏭️ What’s next: The International Energy Agency expects solar generation to double by 2030 compared with 2025, potentially making it the world’s third-largest electricity source after overtaking hydropower
• The key challenge is whether infrastructure, storage and policy can keep pace with deployment
• Despite political and supply-chain barriers, solar’s falling costs continue to drive adoption worldwide

💬 One quote: “Solar is now the engine of the power transition,” says Jan Rosenow, professor of energy and climate policy at the University of Oxford

📈 One stat: Solar generation increased approximately 2,700-fold while nuclear generation remained broadly stable from 2000 to 2026

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