Energy · c. 1960

Combined-cycle gas plant

Gas turbine exhaust raises steam for a second turbine, topping 60% efficiency.

Combined-cycle plants appeared in the 1950s and 1960s and spread fast in the 1990s 'dash for gas'. Modern units exceed 60% thermal efficiency, nearly double a typical coal plant, and emit about half the CO2 per kWh.

See it in the living tree Wikipedia

Arcs above join it to what it stood on, arcs below to what it led to. The bar places this stretch on the tree's whole timeline.

What it built on 2

Gas turbine power plant 1939
Steam turbine 1884

Related measurements

The dashed line marks when it first worked.

Energy used per dollar of GDP Latest: 1.21 kWh per $ (2022) Source: Our World in Data

World electricity generation Latest: 31.8k TWh (2025) Source: Our World in Data

Fossil fuel consumption Latest: 144k TWh (2025) Source: Our World in Data