Solar Just Passed a Major Global Milestone
Chances are, you didn’t hear about it.
But, in April, for the first time in history, global wind and solar generation outpaced natural gas.
The analysis from Ember showed that between the two, wind and solar generated 22 percent of the world’s electricity in April, compared to just 20 percent from natural gas.
This isn’t the end of fossil fuels. Far from it.
But it does signal a rapidly accelerating conversation about energy.
A decade ago, many still thought of solar as an expensive novelty, experimental, or only practical for serious off-grid living.
Now, the reasons that people consider solar are much more practical:
- Backup power
- Energy independence
- For RV/cabin power needs
- For running essentials during an outage
- For reducing grid dependence.
Looking at the reasons, they actually make sense – especially after seeing how easily reliable power is taken away during enough outages, with fluctuating and ever-rising bills and issues with grid stability.
Electricity doesn't factor into most thoughts until it's gone.
Part of the reason for this acceleration is the advance of battery storage.
Solar panels only generate electricity when the sun shines, but batteries allow homes to capture this electricity, and store it for use at any time-overnight, during an outage, or while camping off the grid.
This changes everything regarding the value proposition of solar. Because to many people now, solar isn’t just about saving money. It’s about reliability.
In April alone, generation of wind and solar generation rose over the past year in several major markets, including the United States (+8%), the European Union (+13%), China (+14%), Australia (+17%), and the United Kingdom (+35%).
All these statistics add up to something happening deeper down below the surface.
More and more homeowners are considering being prepared. Energy flexibility is becoming more appealing. And backup power is no longer just a luxury, it's now a plan.
Several years ago, most of these issues seemed like topics for a very small niche. Now, they are becoming more and more common. In many ways, people that started paying attention to solar early were simply ahead of the curve on where the industry was headed, and from the global growth stats, it appears we're still heading there and gaining steam.
A single month doesn’t completely overhaul a global energy system. However, with each statistic that comes out about how much progress has been made, it becomes harder and harder to say that solar is "alternative" and is somehow on the sidelines. It’s already happening.
And for a lot of people, the next question becomes less about if they should look into solar — and more about what kind of setup actually makes sense for their home, RV, cabin, or backup power needs.
If you want help figuring that out, our team at Shop Solar offers free custom system designs built around your specific goals, energy usage, and budget.