Coal gets dethroned

Summary

Marketplace Morning Report – "Coal gets dethroned"

Date: October 7, 2025
Host: William Lee Adams (BBC World Service)
Notable Guests: Justin Rollette (BBC Climate Editor), Seema Kotecha, Shingai Nyoka, Clarence Mwale, Alistair Campbell

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Episode Overview

This episode focuses on a pivotal moment in global energy history: for the first time, renewable energy has overtaken coal as the leading source of electricity worldwide. Drawing on a new report from the think tank Ember, the show explores what's driving this seismic shift, who the frontrunners and laggards are, and what it means for both advanced and developing economies. The episode also covers international crime with London’s largest crackdown on mobile phone theft, and examines Zimbabwe’s ambitious pursuit to become Africa’s blueberry powerhouse.

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Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Renewable Energy Surpasses Coal in Global Electricity Generation

• [00:46] William Lee Adams reports on the “crucial turning point” identified in Ember’s data: for the first time ever, renewable energy sources (primarily solar and wind) have generated more electricity than coal globally.
• Growth drivers: The expansion of solar and wind energy fulfilled 100% of new global electricity demand in the first half of 2025.

2. Significance & Historical Context

• [01:23] Justin Rollette:

  “Coal, the most polluting fossil fuel, has been the main source of energy for electricity generation literally since the dawn of the electric era, and still held that crown as recently as last year, 2024.”

  • This marks the end of over a century’s dominance by coal and is a landmark in the clean energy transition.

3. Where the Growth is Happening: Developing World Leads

• [01:52] Justin Rollette:
  • Leading regions: Sunny, tropical, and lower-income countries.
  • China: “Overwhelmingly dominant,” adding more wind and solar capacity than all other countries combined, reducing its own fossil fuel generation by 2%.
  • India: Renewables outpaced electricity demand for the first time.
  • Striking impact in smaller economies: Prices for solar panels and backup batteries have dropped so much that individuals and communities in places with high or unreliable electricity prices are rapidly adopting them.
    • Pakistan: Increased total energy capacity by more than one-third in a single year (2024).
    • Nigeria: Major investments in solar.
    • Algeria: 33-fold increase in solar imports in 2024.
    • Zambia & Botswana: Eightfold and sevenfold increases, respectively.
  • [02:55] Notable quote:

    “You just go down the market, you buy yourself a solar panel, put it on your roof, put it on your balcony and you’ve immediately got your own much more dependable and frankly much cheaper energy systems.” – Justin Rollette

4. Developed Countries: A Slower Shift

• [03:14] William Lee Adams: Asks about developed nations lagging behind.
• [03:17] Justin Rollette:
  • US: New renewables not keeping up with growing electricity demand due to electrification.
  • Europe: Disrupted by poor wind speeds and reduced hydro due to droughts linked to climate change.
  • Key challenge: Deeply entrenched grids and high, consistent demand make switching to distributed solar harder.

5. Crime & Global Market Updates

• [04:08] William Lee Adams & Seema Kotecha:
  • London's largest-ever crackdown on mobile phone theft dismantles an international gang, with some 40,000 stolen phones being shipped to China.
  • Stolen UK phones are prized in China for being unlocked and uncensored, fetching up to $5,000 each.
• Stock Markets:
  • Taiwan, Singapore, and Indonesia hit record highs after an AMD–OpenAI chip deal.
  • TSMC shares up 3%.
• Stimulus News: Thailand launches a $1.36B program to slash consumer prices.
• Agriculture: Zimbabwe signs a trade protocol with China, aiming to become Africa’s leading blueberry exporter.

6. Zimbabwe: The Quest to Become the Blueberry Capital

• [05:47] Shingai Nyoka reports from a farm in Zimbabwe:
  • Blueberry production is expected to rise by 50% this year to 12,000 tons.
  • Significant capital investment is being poured in, with China and India as emerging major export destinations.
  • [06:35] Alistair Campbell:

    “This is where the growth is… if you attract foreign money we’ll be able to expand.”

  • [06:55] On economic potential:

    “Huge. If we can expand to the level that we need to get to… we’ve been marginalised up to now.” – Alistair Campbell

  • [07:24] Community impact:
    • Most farmworkers are women, bringing vital income to families in areas hit by unemployment.
  • [08:07] Clarence Mwale:

    “When the Chinese market opens up … it just gives us much more scope … It gives everyone a chance to get into the blueberry production area.”

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Notable Quotes

• [01:23] Justin Rollette:

  “Coal, the most polluting fossil fuel, has been the main source of energy for electricity generation literally since the dawn of the electric era…”

• [02:55] Justin Rollette:

  “You just go down the market, you buy yourself a solar panel, put it on your roof, put it on your balcony and you’ve immediately got your own much more dependable and frankly much cheaper energy systems.”

• [06:35] Alistair Campbell:

  “This is where the growth is tangible growth and can happen very quickly…”

• [08:07] Clarence Mwale:

  “It gives everyone a chance to get into the blueberry production area.”

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Important Timestamps

• 00:46 – Start of main segment on renewables overtaking coal
• 01:23 – Historical significance explained
• 01:52 – Developing world’s lead on renewables
• 03:14 – Challenges in developed countries
• 04:08 – London phone theft crackdown
• 05:47 – Zimbabwe’s blueberry ambitions
• 06:35 – Discussion on foreign investment and economic impact
• 08:07 – Inclusive opportunities in blueberry sector

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Tone & Takeaways

The episode is factual, brisk, and analytical, mirroring the tone of financial news journalism. There’s a sense of historic significance tied to renewables surpassing coal, with a recognition of both the progress made and the challenges that remain. The stories about Zimbabwe and the UK provide both global and local lenses on economic transformation and crime, while highlighting human impacts, especially in developing economies and among marginalized communities.

Transcript

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[William Lee Adams]

Renewable energy overtakes coal as the world's leading source of electricity Live from the uk, this is the Marketplace Morning report from the BBC World Service. I'm William Lee Adams. Good morning. Renewable energy has for the first time generated more electricity than coal. That's according to data from the global energy think tank Ember. It found the growth in solar and wind was so strong it met 100% of the new global electricity demand in the first half of this year. The BBC's climate editor Justin Rollette is here to unpack that. Justin, hi.

[Justin Rollette]

Hi William. How are you doing?

[William Lee Adams]

Really good. Thanks for being with us. Why is this so important?

[Justin Rollette]

Because coal, the most polluting fossil fuel, has been the main source of energy for electricity generation literally since the dawn of the electric era, and still held that crown as recently as last year 2024. Which is why Ember, which is the global energy think tank that published today's report, describes this as a crucial turning point for the world energy system.

[William Lee Adams]

And the pace of change is of course uneven. Who's leading the way?

[Justin Rollette]

Sunny parts of the world, the tropics and lower income countries. Interestingly, China is overwhelmingly dominant in this industry. It added more wind and solar than the rest of the world combined, which helped reduce its fossil fuel generation for electricity by 2%. India also saw renewable power outpace electricity demand, but it's actually in smaller countries where the really dramatic fall that we've seen in the price of solar is really kicking in. What seems to be happening is that become now so cheap to buy solar panels and batteries to back them up during the night when the sun isn't shining that when you've got relatively high electricity prices or unreliable Electricity, both very common in developing countries. You just go down the market, you buy yourself a solar panel, put it on your roof, put it on your balcony and you've immediately got your own much more dependable and frankly much cheaper energy systems. Pakistan has added the equivalent of more than a third of total energy generating capacity in a single year. 2024. Nigeria racing ahead with huge investments in solar. And then smaller countries. Algeria increased ITS Solar imports 33 fold. 33 times increase in solar imports in 2024. Zambia Eightfold. Botswana sevenfold. So you see this just rippling across the developing world. Very different picture in developed countries.

[William Lee Adams]

Of the developed countries, who's lagging behind?

[Justin Rollette]

Well, the ones picked out in December report, they talk about the US and Europe and in the US there's a growth in electricity demand as we increasingly electrify so many things in our lives. New renewable power did not meet that increase in demand. It's actually a slightly different picture in Europe. The wind speeds were poor in Europe and drought, climate change meant there was less rain and therefore hydroelectric power, which still generates a lot of renewable energy, was much lower than normal and therefore that didn't meet the new increase in electricity demand in Europe. But these developed countries face very different challenges to developing countries. There you've got a well established electricity grid, really considerable electricity demand already, making the option of switching just to solar panels much more challenging.

[William Lee Adams]

Justin, thanks for joining us on Marketplace.

[Justin Rollette]

My pleasure, William.

[William Lee Adams]

Here in the uk, police in London say they've dismantled an international gang suspected of smuggling up to 40,000 stolen cell phones from the UK to China over the past year. The phones are thought to fetch up to $5,000 each because they are unlocked and able to avoid censorship, unlike those sold legally. Here's the BBC's Seema.

[Seema Kotecha]

The Metropolitan Police says it carried out the UK's largest operation against mobile phone theft, resulting in the arrest of 15 suspects and the discovery of more than 2,000 devices. Three people, including two Afghan men, have since been charged with conspiring to receive stolen goods. They're suspected of running an international smuggling gang. Figures show 80,000 mobiles were taken in London last year, almost triple the number stolen in 2020.

[William Lee Adams]

Sima Kotecha let's do the numbers. Stocks in Taiwan, Singapore and Indonesia have hit record highs after a multi billion dollar chip supply deal between AMD and OpenAI. Taiwan's chip giant TSMC rose 3% on the news. The Chinese and South Korean markets closed for holidays. Elsewhere, Thailand's government has approved a $1.36 billion stimulus program which will reduce the cost of some food and consumer goods by up to 60%. Zimbabwe is on a quest to become Africa's blueberry capital after it recently signed a tariff free export protocol with China, one of the largest consumers of the fruit. The country's blueberry production is outpacing many other growers globally. It's expected to increase 50% this year to 12,000 tons. The BBC's Shingai Nyoka reports.

[Narrator/Reporter]

In the cool of the early morning, workers file into a blueberry plantation to begin work. It's peak harvesting season and tons of berries must be reaped and packed before temperatures rise. Europe and the Middle east are major markets, but a trade agreement with China could make Zimbabwe a more significant global player. I've come to Laueta Farm. Scores of women are picking dark purple fruit from shoulder high bushes. They're separating the large quality berries for export. At another part of the farm, the land has been cleared and a new dam installed. Huge capital investment in anticipation of Chinese orders. Former international cricketer Alistair Campbell is determined to put Zimbabwe on the map, this time with blueberries.

[Alistair Campbell]

Because of this China protocol and pending India protocol. This is where the growth is tangible growth and can happen very quickly providing the decks are cleared insofar as regulation is concerned and ease of doing business. So you attract foreign money and if you attract foreign money will be able to expand.

[Narrator/Reporter]

So what would that mean for Zimbabwe's economy?

[Alistair Campbell]

Well, huge. If we can expand to the level that we need to get to. There are funds out there that have money exactly for what we require, but we've been marginalised up to now.

[Narrator/Reporter]

The farmers need over $100 million in order to double the acreage under berries to 1,500 hectares. But investors remain jittery about land tenure policies and perennial currency woes. It's time for tea and a roll call. I'm struck by the fact that almost all the reapers are women. 50 year old Rebecca Bonzo, a supervisor, explains to me that the farm has transformed a community plagued by high unemployment. Hundreds of women, many who are sole breadwinners, can now take care of their families, she said. Others see the access to new markets as a chance to diversify the players. In a Harare industrial area, packers are wrapping sugar snaps produced by numerous outgrowers. Exporter and contractor Clarence Mwale believes he can similarly integrate small scale farmers into the niche blueberries supply chain.

[Clarence Mwale]

We have a contract to grow 2,000 hectares of blueberries. Using this small scale model, we target specific individuals who we know have capacity to grow blueberries. When the Chinese market opens up as it has now, it just gives us much more scope to look at where we were scrambling and fighting for the European market, which we haven't been able to fulfill. Now we've got a vast market that we need to feed. It gives everyone a chance to get into the blueberry production area.

[Narrator/Reporter]

Zimbabwe will need to pass Chinese inspections before it can begin exports, but it will also need to build investor confidence in its quest to become Africa's blueberry capital.

[William Lee Adams]

Shingai Nyoka There in the UK I'm William Lee Adams with the Marketplace morning report from the BBC World Service. Thank you for listening.

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