Solar and wind reach 4,000 GW and surpass coal and gas in installed capacity for the first time in human history.

Written by Douglas Avila

Published on 29/04/2026 at 18:38

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In 2025, something that seemed distant became a reality: solar and wind energy combined reached 4,174 gigawatts of installed capacity worldwide — surpassing coal in global electricity generation for the first time in a century. The 4000 GW solar and wind milestone is not just a symbolic number. It is confirmation that the energy transition has ceased to be a promise and has become the dominant movement in global electrical infrastructure. And Brazil is at the center of this revolution — with the second largest portfolio of renewable projects on the planet, behind only China.

The data was compiled by the energy analysis organization Ember and confirmed by the International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA) in April 2026. In 2025, the world added 814 gigawatts of new solar and wind capacity — a historic record representing six times more than all other combined energy sources installed in the same period. To put it in perspective: 814 GW is more than Brazil’s entire installed electrical capacity.

The historic shift was not just in capacity. In actual electricity generation, renewables accounted for 33.8% of global production in 2025 — surpassing coal (33.0%) for the first time in approximately 100 years. An era that began with the Industrial Revolution has come to an end.

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What’s Behind the 4,000 GW Solar and Wind Explosion

The speed of growth would have been impossible to predict two decades ago. In 2015, the world had about 840 GW of combined solar and wind capacity. In 2025, that number reached 4,174 GW — an almost 5-fold increase in ten years. The compound annual growth rate for solar energy during this period was about 15%

Solar and wind reach 4,000 GW and surpass coal and gas in installed capacity for the first time in human history.

What’s Behind the 4,000 GW Solar and Wind Explosion

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Solar and wind reach 4,000 GW and surpass coal and gas in installed capacity for the first time in human history.

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While an average building in London or New York takes three years to be completed, in China a 26-story tower went up in five days with about 100 workers, and the global modular construction market already moves US$ 95 billion per year.

Australia installs giant concrete structures on the seabed 800 meters from the shore to create an ocean intake for desalination that will draw in saltwater and produce 30 million liters of drinking water per day.

A public school student single-handedly created a machine capable of treating water for up to 50 people using only solar energy. It was awarded third place at one of the most important science fairs in the world.

Goodbye traditional washing machine: Panasonic surprises housewives with the NA-G5 featuring four drums, a 13 kg washer and dryer, a 12 kg dryer, independent mini washers, a heat pump, and a 4-in-1 system awarded at the German Design Award.

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Changan and Chery promise mass production of solid-state batteries with 1,500 kilometers of range in 2027 while Tesla still uses lithium and Toyota only promises to deliver theirs in 2028.

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