Historic Milestone: Wind and Solar Outpace Gas Globally for the First Time — 531 TWh vs 477 TWh in April 2026

Ember's monthly electricity data analysis confirmed a landmark reversal: for the first time in recorded electricity history, combined wind and solar generation globally exceeded natural gas generation in a single month. In April 2026, wind and solar produced 531 TWh — representing 22% of global electricity — while gas generated 477 TWh (20%), a margin of 54 TWh. The turnaround is striking: in April 2021, gas produced 476 TWh while wind and solar generated only 245 TWh — barely half of gas. The five-year reversal was driven by exponential solar PV growth in China, India, the United States, and Europe, with China alone adding over 250 GW of solar in 2025. Ember noted that solar alone in April 2026 exceeded total global nuclear electricity output. The milestone validates projections from BloombergNEF, IRENA, and the IEA that renewables would surpass gas before 2030 — and did so four years early.