At 531 TWh, electricity generated from wind and solar reached a new global record in April 2026, according to energy think tank Ember. Gas-fired power plants supplied 477 TWh.
May 22, 2026
The Haringvliet energy park built by Vattenfall
According to British think tank Ember, the rapid growth of solar and wind power is weakening the case for imported gas, even in the wake of the recent energy crisis. A recent analysis shows that April 2026 marked the first time globally that electricity generation from solar and wind exceeded that from gas. The two renewable sources accounted for 22% of global electricity generation, while gas-fired power plants supplied 20%, or 531 TWh compared with 477 TWh.
Five years earlier, in April 2021, gas-fired generation stood at a similar level of 476 TWh, according to Ember, but was nearly double the combined output of wind and solar, which totaled 245 TWh.
