Solar reached a record 10% of global electricity in H1 2026, but its share dropped to near zero after sunset, says Ember in a new report
Analysts believe battery additions expected in 2026 could theoretically shift 34% of new daily solar generation into non-sunny hours
Bulgaria, Chile, and California are already demonstrating how battery storage is extending solar generation into evening demand
Solar supplied a record of over 10% of global electricity in H1 2026, but its contribution remained heavily concentrated in daylight hours. However, Ember believes adding battery energy storage can help shift 34% of new daily solar generation to non-sunny hours in 2026.
In H1 2026, solar met more than 25% of global electricity demand between 11:00 a.m. and 02:00 p.m. on the average day. Its share fell to near zero between 08:00 p.m. and 05:00 p.m.
In a new report, Ember said battery storage is beginning to address this daily limitation by shifting solar generation into the evening. It estimates that the 459 GWh of new battery capacity projected to be added globally in 2026, up 50% from 307 GWh in 2025, could move 34% of new daily solar generation into non-sunny hours, compared with 18% in 2025.
The report noted that this 34% figure is a theoretical ceiling. Many batteries are not fully utilized for solar shifting, making market design and access to multiple revenue streams important for maximizing their use.
Nevertheless, the shift is already visible in several markets. Bulgaria and Chile added enough battery capacity in 2025 to shift 77% and 76%, respectively, of their new daily solar generation to non-sunny hours. Australia followed at 60%. California also saw a significant increase in solar-plus-battery generation during evening hours. On the average day in H1 2026, solar and batteries met more than a quarter of electricity demand between 07:00 p.m. and 09:00 p.m., compared with 6.8% in H1 2023.
In Bulgaria, solar and batteries met 24% of evening electricity demand during the same period. In Chile, they supplied more than 10% of evening demand.
“Without storage, the non-sunny hours remain a stronghold for fossil power,” according to Ember’s new report. It shares the example of India, where average fossil generation between 05:00 p.m. and 07:00 a.m. reached 168 GW in H1 2026, up 22 GW from H1 2023. In the EU, average midday fossil generation fell by 16 GW over the same period, while the evening peak declined by only 5 GW.
Ember analyst Kostantsa Rangelova said ‘cheaper and good enough’ batteries are enabling solar to operate during non-sunny hours, enabling ‘anytime solar’. “Delivering solar in non-sunny hours, the current stronghold of fossil power, changes everything: solar's role in global power systems can be far bigger than previously thought possible,” adds Rangelova.
The report said batteries alone will not address periods of low solar and wind lasting several days. It pointed to a broader mix of flexibility options, including long-duration storage, hydropower, wind, grids, and demand-side measures.
Ember concluded that the next phase of solar growth will depend not only on adding batteries but also on how effectively electricity markets integrate and use storage.
“The era of anytime solar has begun. The pace at which it spreads will now depend less on the cost of solar itself and more on how quickly batteries are deployed and integrated into power systems,” reads the report.
Ember’s report, titled Batteries have unlocked the era of anytime solar, is available for free download on its website.
