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The world’s total capacity of solar power plants has increased by 380 MW in the first half of 2025. It is a 64% increase compared to the same period last year, according to Ember.
In the first six months of 2024 the world added 232 GW. It took until September that year for new solar capacity to surpass 350 GW – a result for the entire 2023. This year the milestone of 350 GW was reached in June, according to the energy think tank Ember.
The total global cumulative installed capacity reached 2.2 TW by the end of 2024.
The rapid expansion of solar capacity in recent years has made it the fastest growing source of new electricity generation. In 2024, global solar output rose by 28% (+469 TWh) compared to 2023, more than any other source, Ember noted.
China continues to lead the world in solar growth. Global Energy Monitor said in July that three quarters of global solar, wind capacity under construction is in China.
From January until the end of June, the country’s photovoltaic installations were more than 100% higher year-over-year.”
China accounted for 67% of the global new installations – up from 54% in the first half of 2024, according to the think tank.
The result was partly driven by the developers’ intention to finish projects before new rules on wind and solar compensation came into effect in June this year.
This situation could lead to lower installation in the rest of the year, however Ember stressed new clean power procurement requirements for industry and higher full-year deployment expectations from China’s solar PV association (CPIA) as evidence that a new record volume of solar power plants would be recorded in 2025.
India follows China
All other countries together installed an estimated 124 GW in the first half of 2025 – 15% higher than the first half of 2024.
India won second place with 24 GW, a 49% increase over the already strong 16 GW added in deployment in H1-2024. The United States ranked third with 21 GW, up 4% year-on-year, despite recent moves by the US government to restrict clean power deployment.
The remaining countries added 65 GW in H1-2025, 22% more than in H1-2024. Ember pointed out data for Africa in which imports from China rose 60% in the last 12 months. But, the effects on the ground are still not unknown.
2025 is on track to become another historic year for solar power
Solar became the EU’s largest source of electricity for the first time in June 2025. However, the EU is set to install less new solar capacity in 2025 than it did last year – the first annual drop in a decade.
Ember estimated that 2025 is on track to become another historic year for solar power.
“These latest numbers on solar deployment in 2025 defy gravity, with annual solar installations continuing their sharp rise. In a world of volatile energy markets, solar offers domestically produced power that can be rolled out at record speed to meet growing demand, independent of global fossil fuel supply chains,” Senior Energy Analyst of Ember Nicolas Fulghum noted.
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