Key points
- Solar energy has officially overtaken gas-fired power in Asia to become the continent’s third-largest source of electricity.
- Asia’s solar output generated 1,727 terawatt-hours (TWh) over the 12 months leading to April 2026, edging past gas at 1,711 TWh.
- The rapid expansion has been largely anchored by China, which accounts for nearly three-quarters of the region’s solar growth since 2020.
- Coal and hydropower maintain their dominant positions, remaining Asia’s top two largest sources of electricity.
- The clean energy milestone is mirrored globally, with wind and solar combined surpassing worldwide gas generation in April 2026.
Main Story
Solar energy has achieved a historic milestone in Asia by overtaking gas-fired generation to become the continent’s third-largest source of electricity for the first time ever.
According to a new analysis by Carbon Brief utilizing data from the energy think tank Ember, solar output surged to 1,727 terawatt-hours (TWh) in the 12 months leading up to April 2026. This rapid scaling pushed solar just ahead of natural gas, which generated 1,711 TWh over the same annualized period and has remained relatively flat for several years.
While coal (52%) and hydropower (12%) securely maintain their ranks as Asia’s top two electricity sources, solar’s ascension highlights a massive structural shift across regional grids.
The unprecedented boom is largely anchored by China, which accounts for nearly 75% of the growth in Asian solar output since 2020, bringing its cumulative installed capacity to a staggering 1.2 terawatts (TW) by the end of 2025. Because China dominates global supply chains—hosting over 80% of solar manufacturing capacity, its massive export of cheap solar panels has simultaneously enabled rapid deployment in neighboring nations like India and Pakistan.
Conversely, expectations for “explosive growth” in Asian gas power have fallen short. A combination of supply disruptions, high international gas prices exacerbated by market volatility, and the availability of cheap clean alternatives has caused gas-fired generation in the region to stall. This regional flip aligns with a broader international turning point: in April 2026, monthly generation from wind and solar combined surpassed gas power globally for the first time in history.
The Issues
- Integrating the massive influx of variable solar energy into regional grids that still rely heavily on baseload coal power.
- Overcoming the economic and political supply chain vulnerabilities associated with over-reliance on a single dominant solar manufacturer.
- Stranding heavily capitalized LNG import infrastructure projects as solar-plus-storage options become increasingly cheaper to deploy.
What’s Being Said
- Contextualizing the shift away from fossil gas, Kostantsa Rangelova, Global Electricity Analyst at Ember, noted: “The current energy crisis has further strengthened the economic case for renewables compared to imported gas, while also adding greater political urgency to accelerate deployment. For many importing countries, LNG-powered electricity is increasingly unable to compete with wind and solar.”
- Commenting on the wider global impact of clean energy growth, Fatih Birol, Executive Director of the International Energy Agency (IEA), emphasized: “In today’s rapidly shifting landscape, countries that prioritise resilience and diversification will be best placed to manage volatility and deliver secure and affordable energy in the years ahead.”
What’s Next
- Grid operators across key Asian economies will accelerate investments in large-scale storage and interconnection infrastructure to stabilize solar input.
- Regional energy planners are expected to downgrade long-term gas and LNG demand forecasts for power generation through 2030.
- Emerging economies will leverage falling solar component costs to ramp up rural electrification programs and meet escalating energy demand cleanly.
Bottom Line
Driven by an annualized output of 1,727 TWh and a relentless manufacturing boom led by China, solar power has officially surpassed natural gas in Asia’s electricity mix for the first time, signaling that imported fossil fuels are losing the cost and security race to domestic clean energy.
