Renewables have now passed coal globally – and growth is fastest in countries like Bhutan and Nepal

Commuters pass a new solar array in the Maldives. Ishara S. Kodikara/Getty

For the first time, renewables have toppled coal as the world’s leading source of electricity, in keeping with International Energy Agency projections for this historic shift.

But progress is uneven. The shift away from fossil fuels has slowed in the United States and the European Union – but accelerated sharply in developing nations.