Climate News

Wind and solar beat gas worldwide for the first time, in April 2026: 531 TWh against 477

For the first month ever, wind and solar generated more electricity worldwide than gas. On 21 May the London-based think tank Ember said wind and solar produced a record 531 TWh in April 2026, or 22% of global power, against 477 TWh (20%) from gas. Five years earlier, in April 2021, gas generated almost the same amount (476 TWh) while wind and solar made only 245 TWh. Global wind and solar output grew an estimated 13% year on year, including 14% in China, 13% in the EU, 35% in the UK and 8% in the US. The analysis used reported data from 36 countries plus estimates for the rest.

"April was the most likely month for this milestone." — Kostantsa Rangelova, Ember

Ember also said it found no sign of widespread switching from gas to coal, despite energy security fears.

How each outlet framed it

• Ember — the milestone and the country numbers, with examples such as Indonesia's 100 GW solar-plus-storage plan and South Korea's goal of 100 GW of renewables by 2030.
• GreentechLead — the economics: Rangelova said LNG-powered electricity is increasingly unable to compete with wind and solar in importing countries.
• Solarserver — the caveats: spring brings strong wind, rising sun and low demand, and the result came in the first full month of an energy crisis linked to the Middle East conflict.

What we don't know yet: whether wind and solar can beat gas over a full year. All three outlets stressed this was a single month, and Solarserver suggested the annual picture may be clearer by late 2026.