In April 2026, wind and solar together generated 22% of the world's electricity, surpassing gas at 20% for the first month ever, according to energy think tank Ember. The two technologies produced a record 531 terawatt-hours — 54 TWh more than gas — more than double their output of just five years earlier.
A line on the world's energy charts crossed in April 2026 that had never crossed before. According to the independent energy think tank Ember, wind and solar power together generated more electricity than fossil gas across the entire planet for the first full month on record. The two clean technologies produced 22% of global electricity, edging past gas at 20% — a quiet but historic reordering of how humanity keeps its lights on.
The numbers tell the story of breathtaking speed. Wind and solar generated a record 531 terawatt-hours in April 2026, 54 terawatt-hours more than gas, which produced 477 TWh. Just five years earlier, in April 2021, the same two sources had managed only 245 terawatt-hours — less than half of today's figure — while gas sat at almost exactly the same level it does now. In other words, gas generation has barely moved while clean power has more than doubled.
“According to the independent energy think tank Ember, wind and solar power together generated more electricity than fossil gas across the entire planet for the first full month on record.”
The shift matters far beyond a single month's statistics. Electricity from sun and wind requires no fuel, emits nothing as it runs, and is now in most of the world the cheapest source of new power to build. As their share climbs, they displace the gas and coal that drive climate change and create air pollution, and they insulate countries from the price shocks that come with importing fossil fuels. Each terawatt-hour they add is a terawatt-hour that does not need to be burned.
There are honest caveats. A single spring month, when mild temperatures keep demand moderate, is not the same as a full year, and gas still plays a crucial role in balancing the grid when the sun sets and the wind drops. But the trend behind the milestone is unmistakable: the world added a record 814 gigawatts of wind and solar in 2025, and the technologies are scaling faster than almost any forecaster predicted. April 2026 will be remembered as the month the future of electricity briefly became the present — and a sign of many more such months to come.
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Good News Good Vibes. (2026, May 20). For the First Time Ever, Wind and Solar Out-Generated Gas Worldwide. Retrieved from https://goodnewsgoodvibes.com/en/article/wind-solar-beat-gas-globally-first-time-april-2026-ember
https://goodnewsgoodvibes.com/en/article/wind-solar-beat-gas-globally-first-time-april-2026-ember
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Last reviewed: May 20, 2026
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