Wind and Solar Overtake Gas. What It Means for Energy Strategy

Wind and solar have beaten gas in global electricity generation for the first time. Here is what the data shows, and what it means for energy and sustainability leaders.

April 2026 will be recorded as a defining moment in global energy. For the first time ever, wind and solar generated more electricity than gas worldwide. For sustainability and energy leaders, the implications go well beyond the headline.

According to analysis from independent energy think tank Ember, wind and solar together produced 22% of global electricity in April, compared with 20% from gas. Combined output reached a record 531 terawatt-hours, surpassing gas generation of 477 TWh by 54 TWh. The milestone arrived during the first full month of the latest global energy crisis, triggered by conflict in the Middle East, underscoring the strategic advantage of price-stable, homegrown clean energy over unpredictable fossil fuel imports.

Leaders should understand both the significance and the complexity. April is reliably favourable for renewables. Spring conditions in the northern hemisphere combine rising solar output with strong wind generation, while demand tends to dip between heating and cooling seasons. Ember is clear that this does not yet signal a permanent annual shift. What it does represent is the logical endpoint of years of accelerating investment and falling technology costs.

The numbers tell the story plainly. In April 2021, gas generation stood at 476 TWh, almost identical to today. Wind and solar produced just 245 TWh at that point. Renewables have more than doubled their output in five years while gas has flatlined. Ember's Global Electricity Review also found that wind and solar met all global electricity demand growth throughout 2025.

Renewable growth spanned key economies. The UK saw the strongest growth at 35% year-on-year, followed by Chile at 24%, Australia at 17%, China at 14%, the EU at 13%, the US at 8% and Brazil at 4%.
For CSOs and energy procurement leads, the strategic implication is direct. Renewables cannot be embargoed. Their marginal cost is zero. Locking in renewable energy contracts now protects against the price swings and supply risks of imported gas, as much as it cuts emissions.

Renewables haven't overtaken gas across a full year yet, but the trend is unmistakable and waiting to act until they do would be a mistake.