Global electricity generation from natural gas grew by just 0.5 percent last year, marking its most sluggish expansion since 2020 as clean energy sources met almost all new demand. According to the authors of the newly released report, this slowdown was driven by a massive increase in solar power and a significant drop in gas use in the United States caused by higher fuel prices.
The report states that “Solar growth was 18 times greater than gas generation growth in 2025” and highlights that “The largest gas power decline in 2025 was in the United States (−63 TWh, −3.4%), as higher gas prices reversed the coal-to-gas-switching seen in the previous three years.”
Essentially, natural gas is facing a double challenge: it is being outpaced by the rapid installation of solar panels and becoming too expensive for some major economies to use. While gas was once the primary source for meeting new energy needs, solar energy is now growing so fast that it covers nearly all the extra electricity the world requires. Furthermore, high price tags for gas in places like the U.S. have led some power plants to move back to cheaper fuels like coal, further stalling the growth of gas usage.
The report “Global Electricity Review 2026” was published by the energy think tank Ember on April 21, 2026. Prepared by a team of researchers led by Nicolas Fulghum, the study offers a comprehensive overview of how clean energy met all global electricity demand growth over the past year.
