Wind and Solar Surpass Natural Gas in Global Electricity for First Time in April 2026

In April 2026, wind and solar generated 532 terawatt‑hours of electricity worldwide, exceeding natural gas output of 477 terawatt‑hours for the first month ever. Coal’s share fell below one‑third of global power after a 0.5‑point drop from 2024 to 2025.

Ember, an energy think tank, compiles hourly generation data from national grid operators and aggregates it into monthly totals. A terawatt‑hour (TWh) equals one trillion watt‑hours, a standard measure of large‑scale electricity production. The April figure occurred during the shoulder season, when wind speeds and sunlight are typically high, favoring renewable output.

Wind and solar together produced 532 TWh, while natural gas contributed 477 TWh in April 2026. In the prior year, solar met three‑quarters of the world’s new electricity demand, with the remainder supplied by other carbon‑free sources. Coal’s share of global electricity generation declined by 0.5 percentage points from 2024 to 2025, dropping below one‑third of total power for the first time.

The milestone shows that variable renewables can temporarily outpace fossil‑fuel generation even without storage breakthroughs. Continued growth in solar and wind capacity, combined with policy support, may push such months from occasional to routine. Analysts will watch whether the trend persists through higher‑demand seasons and whether coal’s decline accelerates as renewable shares rise.