For the first time, wind and solar generated more electricity than gas worldwide in April 2026

The April 2026 milestone was driven by continued strong growth in wind and solar, which rose fast enough to meet most of the increase in global electricity demand and helped limit the rise in gas generation.

The data shows no evidence of widespread gas-to-coal switching globally, despite ongoing energy security concerns.

Wind and solar generation also rose across countries reporting April 2026 data. Globally, output is estimated to have grown 13% year-on-year, with gains across major markets including China (+14%), EU (+13%), the UK (+35%), the US (+8%), Australia (+17%), Chile (+24%) and Brazil (+4%).

So far, wind and solar have overtaken gas only for a single month and not on an annual basis. April was the most likely month for this milestone, as spring conditions in the northern hemisphere — where most global solar capacity is concentrated — typically combine strong wind output with rising solar generation. At the same time, electricity demand is typically lower between the heating and cooling seasons, meaning gas generation tends to be lower than in most other months of the year.

Governments across the world are adding plans to accelerate renewable energy deployment as they seek to reduce exposure to volatile fossil fuels. A number of countries have recently announced strong policy measures and goals that aim to further accelerate wind and solar growth, as tracked by the Global Renewables Alliance. Recent announcements include, Indonesia’s plan to develop a 100 GW solar-plus-storage capacity, South Korea’s plans to triple renewables capacity to 100 GW by 2030, and efforts to accelerate renewables projects across countries including the Philippines, Thailand and the UK.

Notes to editor

The analysis is based on reported data from 36 countries and conservative estimates for countries yet to publish April 2026 data.