Solar power expansion is now at a scale where it can buffer the global economy against major disruptions in natural gas supplies. According to the authors of the newly released report, the annual increase in global solar production has become large enough to potentially replace the electricity generated by all the liquefied natural gas currently shipped through the world’s most vulnerable trade chokepoint.
“Global solar growth in 2025 alone could displace gas-fired electricity equivalent to all LNG exports through the Strait of Hormuz that year.” The report further notes that “global solar generation rose by more than 600 TWh in 2025,” matching the potential electricity output of the 82 million tonnes of gas passing through that vital trade route.
To understand this, consider that the world is adding new solar panels at such a high rate that the extra power they generate in just one year equals the total amount of electricity we would get from burning all the gas that travels through the Middle East’s most important waterway. In the past, a closure of such a vital shipping lane would have caused unavoidable power shortages, but the rapid growth of solar technology now provides a safety net that helps countries maintain their energy supplies. Unlike gas, which must be constantly imported and is subject to price spikes during wars, solar energy is produced locally and provides a permanent, stable source of power once the panels are installed.
The report “The energy security fall-out: from fossil fuel fragility to electric independence” was published by the energy think tank Ember on March 18, 2026. It was prepared by a team of authors led by Daan Walter, Sam Butler-Sloss, and Dave Jones.
