Solar Energy Statistics Updated November 2026

Human Written & Fact Checked · Updated

190 Solar Energy Statistics for 2026

Solar generated 2,778 TWh of electricity worldwide in 2025, 8.7% of global electricity generation, and met 75% of the growth in electricity demand, according to Ember. Installed PV capacity stood at 2,973 GW at the end of the year on IEA PVPS's direct-current count.

How much was added in 2025 depends on who counts. IEA PVPS estimates 698 GW (DC basis), SolarPower Europe 664 GW, Ember 647 GW(DC) and IRENA 510 GW. The bases differ, so this page states each figure with its producer and unit and never merges them.

The sections below cover global capacity, generation share, the United States, the UK, Australia, Germany and India, home solar, costs, storage, jobs, manufacturing, public opinion and forecasts. Every figure links to the primary document it comes from.

Headline figures

How much solar capacity is installed worldwide?

It depends on who counts and in which unit. IEA PVPS reports direct-current capacity for PV only, while IRENA reports capacity on its own basis, so the two totals sit far apart and are not added or averaged here.

589,761 2019 721,134 2020 866,040 2021 1,058,036 2022 1,422,026 2023 1,880,396 2024 2,391,584 2025
View data table
World installed solar capacity (PV plus concentrated solar power) at year end, in MW, 2019-2025, as printed in IRENA's 2026 edition, which revises earlier years.
PeriodValue
2019589,761
2020721,134
2021866,040
20221,058,036
20231,422,026
20241,880,396
20252,391,584
World installed solar capacity (PV plus concentrated solar power) at year end, in MW, 2019-2025, as printed in IRENA's 2026 edition, which revises earlier years. (IRENA (Renewable capacity statistics 2026), Mar 2026)
  • World installed solar capacity (PV plus concentrated solar power) was 2,391,584 MW at the end of 2025, against 1,880,396 MW at the end of 2024, in IRENA's capacity statistics. (IRENA (Renewable capacity statistics 2026), Mar 2026)
  • By IRENA region, solar PV capacity at the end of 2025 was 1,528,220 MW in Asia, 405,417 MW in Europe, 228,974 MW in North America, 82,854 MW in South America, 42,435 MW in Oceania, 37,792 MW in the Middle East, 29,205 MW in Eurasia, 21,003 MW in Africa and 7,262 MW in Central America and the Caribbean. (IRENA (Renewable capacity statistics 2026), Mar 2026)
  • World solar PV capacity alone was 2,383,162 MW at the end of 2025 in the same IRENA table. The European Union, a memo item that overlaps Europe, had 364,740 MW. (IRENA (Renewable capacity statistics 2026), Mar 2026)
  • Off-grid solar PV capacity worldwide reached 10,336 MW in 2025, up from 8,794 MW in 2024 and 1,851 MW in 2016. (IRENA (Renewable capacity statistics 2026), Mar 2026)
  • China accounted for 51% of total cumulative global PV installations in 2025 (48% in 2024), Europe for 17% and North America for 9%. (Fraunhofer ISE (Photovoltaics Report), Jul 2026)
  • Cumulative global PV installations grew at a compound annual rate of about 27% between 2015 and 2025. (Fraunhofer ISE (Photovoltaics Report), Jul 2026)

IEA PVPS counts PV only in direct-current terms (GWp) and uses its own estimate for China, which is above official Chinese reporting. IRENA reports net installed capacity in MW on its own basis, and its world solar row includes concentrated solar power. The Fraunhofer ISE shares are shares of cumulative PV installations built on IEA PVPS world totals. The totals are different measures and are not combined.

How much solar capacity was added in 2025?

Four producers give four different answers, because they count in different units and treat China's reporting differently. None of them is the single figure, so they are listed side by side and never merged.

471 GW 2023 602 GW 2024 698 GW 2025
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Global annual PV installations as estimated by IEA PVPS, GW (DC basis), 2023-2025. The other producers' totals are not charted with it because their bases differ.
PeriodValue
2023471 GW
2024602 GW
2025698 GW
Global annual PV installations as estimated by IEA PVPS, GW (DC basis), 2023-2025. The other producers' totals are not charted with it because their bases differ. (IEA PVPS (Snapshot of Global PV Markets 2026), Apr 2026)

The bases differ. IEA PVPS and Ember report direct-current capacity and convert countries that report in alternating current; IEA PVPS also adds its own estimate for China above official reporting. SolarPower Europe's press release prints GW without stating the basis. IRENA reports net additions on its own basis, which gives a lower figure. The four totals are not averaged, ranked or charted together.

Which countries have the most solar capacity?

China, by a wide margin. IEA PVPS ranks it first for both cumulative capacity and 2025 installations, with the United States and India next on cumulative capacity.

  1. 1 China 1,463.5 GW
  2. 2 USA 268.2 GW
  3. 3 India 180.5 GW
  4. 4 Germany 117.3 GW
  5. 5 Japan 102.7 GW
  6. 6 Brazil 66.0 GW
  7. 7 Spain 59.0 GW
  8. 8 Pakistan 52.2 GW
  9. 9 Australia 44.3 GW
  10. 10 Italy 43.5 GW
IEA PVPS top ten countries for cumulative PV capacity at the end of 2025, GW (DC basis), in the order of IEA PVPS's own table. The figures for China and Pakistan are IEA PVPS estimates above official reporting. (IEA PVPS (Snapshot of Global PV Markets 2026), Apr 2026)
  • IEA PVPS ranks China first for cumulative PV capacity at the end of 2025 with 1,463.5 GW, followed by the USA with 268.2 GW and India with 180.5 GW (DC basis). (IEA PVPS (Snapshot of Global PV Markets 2026), Apr 2026)
  • The rest of IEA PVPS's top ten for cumulative capacity is Germany 117.3 GW, Japan 102.7 GW, Brazil 66.0 GW, Spain 59.0 GW, Pakistan 52.2 GW, Australia 44.3 GW and Italy 43.5 GW. The European Union as a bloc had 406.0 GW. (IEA PVPS (Snapshot of Global PV Markets 2026), Apr 2026)
  • For annual installations in 2025, IEA PVPS ranks China first with 415.0 GW, India second with 55.9 GW and the USA third with 43.2 GW (DC basis). (IEA PVPS (Snapshot of Global PV Markets 2026), Apr 2026)
  • Places four to ten for 2025 installations in IEA PVPS's table are Germany 16.9 GW, Pakistan 15.8 GW, Brazil 13.8 GW, Spain 11.3 GW, France 7.4 GW, Saudi Arabia 6.8 GW and Italy 6.5 GW. The European Union as a bloc installed 65.7 GW. (IEA PVPS (Snapshot of Global PV Markets 2026), Apr 2026)
  • In IRENA's table, solar PV capacity at the end of 2025 was 1,200,359 MW in China, 210,130 MW in the USA and 135,159 MW in India. (IRENA (Renewable capacity statistics 2026), Mar 2026)
  • IRENA's end-2025 solar PV figures for other countries, listed alphabetically: Australia 41,065 MW, Brazil 64,692 MW, France 31,226 MW, Germany 106,272 MW, Italy 41,183 MW, Japan 92,211 MW, Spain 44,903 MW and the UK 21,662 MW. (IRENA (Renewable capacity statistics 2026), Mar 2026)

IEA PVPS figures are direct-current capacity, and its preliminary assessments for China and Pakistan are higher than official reporting. IEA PVPS shows the European Union in brackets as a bloc, not as a ranked country. IRENA figures are in MW on IRENA's basis and IRENA prints no ranking, so its figures are listed alphabetically. The two producers' country figures are not the same measure.

How much of the world's electricity comes from solar?

Under a tenth, but the share is rising quickly and solar now generates more than wind on Ember's count. Every share in this section is a share of electricity generation, not of total energy use.

13.1% EU 11.1% China 9.8% Japan 9.7% Asia 8.7% World 8.6% United States
View data table
Solar's share of electricity generation in 2025 by area, as printed by Ember. One producer and one method across all six areas.
PeriodValue
EU13.1%
China11.1%
Japan9.8%
Asia9.7%
World8.7%
United States8.6%
Solar's share of electricity generation in 2025 by area, as printed by Ember. One producer and one method across all six areas. (Ember (Global Electricity Review 2026), Apr 2026)

Ember's figures are generation in calendar 2025 from all solar (PV plus concentrated solar power), compiled from national data with estimates where data is missing. The count of 50 countries uses the latest available data for each country.

Which countries get the largest share of their electricity from solar?

  • Hungary generated 27% of its electricity from solar in 2025, up from 24% in 2024. Chile rose from 23% to 25% and, in Ember's words, now ranks second globally. (Ember (Global Electricity Review 2026), Apr 2026)
  • A country needed a 17% solar share of electricity to rank in Ember's top ten in 2025, compared with 13.5% in 2024. (Ember (Global Electricity Review 2026), Apr 2026)
  • Solar's share of electricity generation in 2025 was 11.1% in China, 9.8% in Japan, 9.7% across Asia and 8.6% in the United States. (Ember (Global Electricity Review 2026), Apr 2026)
  • Pakistan's solar share of electricity rose from 6.6% in 2022 to 18.8% in 2025. It added 17 TWh of solar generation in 2025, an 85% increase on 2024. (Ember (Global Electricity Review 2026), Apr 2026)
  • China generated 1,175 TWh from solar in 2025, more than the OECD combined (1,078 TWh) and three times the United States (389 TWh). China's solar generation rose 40% year on year, following 44% growth in 2024. (Ember (Global Electricity Review 2026), Apr 2026)

Shares are of each country's or area's own electricity generation. Ember's US figures include estimates for small-scale solar, so they are higher than figures that count utility-scale plants only.

What is theoretical PV penetration?

  • Global theoretical PV penetration reached approximately 10.5% of electricity demand and 12.0% of electricity consumption, with several countries reaching up to 30%, according to IEA PVPS. (IEA PVPS (Snapshot of Global PV Markets 2026), Apr 2026)

Theoretical penetration is what the capacity in place at the end of 2025 could produce over a full year, relative to demand. It is not measured 2025 generation and is not comparable with Ember's measured share.

How much solar does the United States add each year?

Roughly 30 GW of utility-scale solar a year in alternating-current terms, about half of all the generating capacity added to US grids. EIA and Berkeley Lab define utility-scale differently, so their 2025 totals do not match and are stated separately.

  1. 1 Texas 8.9 GWAC
  2. 2 Indiana 2.0 GWAC
  3. 3 California 1.9 GWAC
  4. 4 Arizona 1.5 GWAC
  5. 5 Ohio 1.4 GWAC
  6. 6 Florida 1.3 GWAC
Utility-scale solar capacity added in 2025 by US state, GWAC, in the order Berkeley Lab lists them. Projects above 5 MWAC only. (Berkeley Lab (Utility-Scale Solar 2026), Oct 2026)
  • EIA counts 30.8 GW of utility-scale solar capacity added to the US grid in 2024 and 27.2 GW in 2025. EIA's utility-scale category covers plants of 1 MW or more, and the 2025 figure is preliminary. (EIA (2026 capacity additions), Feb 2026)
  • Texas accounts for 40% of the utility-scale solar capacity planned for 2026, followed by Arizona (6%), California (6%) and Michigan (5%). (EIA (2026 capacity additions), Feb 2026)
  • Berkeley Lab counts 29 GWAC (36 GWDC) of utility-scale solar added in the United States in 2025, down from 30 GWAC in 2024. It defines utility-scale as ground-mounted projects above 5 MWAC. (Berkeley Lab (Utility-Scale Solar 2026), Oct 2026)
  • On Berkeley Lab's definition, utility-scale solar accounted for 47% of all new grid-connected capacity in the United States in 2025. (Berkeley Lab (Utility-Scale Solar 2026), Oct 2026)
  • Utility-scale (50%) and distributed (10%) solar accounted for a combined 61% (36 GWAC) of all net capacity changes on US grids in 2025. (Berkeley Lab (Utility-Scale Solar 2026), Oct 2026)
  • Utility-scale and distributed solar contributed 7% and 2%, respectively, of US electricity generation in 2025. (Berkeley Lab (Utility-Scale Solar 2026), Oct 2026)
  • Utility-scale solar was responsible for 6.5% of US electricity generation in 2025 and more than 23% of generation in Nevada and California. Arizona, New Mexico and Utah all surpassed 12%. (Berkeley Lab (Utility-Scale Solar 2026), Oct 2026)
  • Texas added the most utility-scale solar of any state in 2025 with 8.9 GWAC, followed by Indiana with 2.0 GWAC. (Berkeley Lab (Utility-Scale Solar 2026), Oct 2026)
  • Average capacity factors of US utility-scale PV range from 16% in the least-sunny regions to 33% in the sunniest. The cumulative net capacity factor across Berkeley Lab's full sample is 23%, ranging from 6% to 40% among projects. (Berkeley Lab (Utility-Scale Solar 2026), Oct 2026)
  • Output from US utility-scale solar projects degrades at 1.7% a year on average. Larger projects (25 MWAC and above) average 1.5% and smaller projects 1.8%. (Berkeley Lab (Utility-Scale Solar 2026), Oct 2026)
  • The US solar industry installed 11.4 GWdc of capacity in the second quarter of 2026, a 45% increase from the second quarter of 2025 and a 43% increase from the first quarter of 2026. (Wood Mackenzie (US solar market report, Q3 2026), Sep 2026)
  • The US utility-scale segment installed nearly 10 GWdc in the second quarter of 2026, a 61% increase year over year. (Wood Mackenzie (US solar market report, Q3 2026), Sep 2026)
  • US commercial solar installations increased 11% year over year in the second quarter of 2026, while community solar installations declined 14%. (Wood Mackenzie (US solar market report, Q3 2026), Sep 2026)

EIA counts plants of 1 MW or more and its 2025 figure is preliminary. Berkeley Lab counts ground-mounted projects above 5 MWAC and gives both AC and DC values; the chart behind its 50% and 10% shares uses a threshold of 1 MWAC, and the combined 61% is as the source prints it. Wood Mackenzie reports direct-current capacity (GWdc) for all segments in a single quarter. The three series are not comparable and are not combined. Berkeley Lab's degradation rate is whole-project performance loss, not module degradation alone.

How much electricity does small-scale solar generate in the US?

  • EIA estimates that US generation from small-scale or rooftop solar systems (smaller than 1 MW) increased from 18,812 GWh to 92,979 GWh over the last decade. (EIA (small-scale solar generation), Oct 2026)
  • California accounted for 37% (34,411 GWh) of total US small-scale solar generation in 2025. Rooftop solar generation in the state grew by 8% between 2024 and 2025. (EIA (small-scale solar generation), Oct 2026)
  • Small-scale solar capacity in California increased from 18 GW in 2024 to 20 GW in 2025. (EIA (small-scale solar generation), Oct 2026)
  • Arizona produced 5,795 GWh of small-scale solar generation in 2025, over 6% of the US total, Texas 5,408 GWh and Florida 5,198 GWh. (EIA (small-scale solar generation), Oct 2026)

These are EIA estimates, not metered output: EIA models generation from the capacity that utilities report. Small-scale means systems under 1 MW and is separate from utility-scale generation.

How much solar capacity does the UK have?

By the government's own estimate, more than half of UK solar capacity is ground-mounted, although homes make up the bulk of installations. The latest month in the official series is provisional and is revised in later releases.

1,010.1 2011 2,919.2 2013 9,909.3 2015 12,882.9 2017 13,496.5 2019 14,271.1 2021 17,552.0 2023 22,084.0 2025
View data table
UK cumulative solar PV capacity at the end of December, MW, every second year from 2011 to 2025. All years are from the October 2026 release, which revises earlier months.
PeriodValue
20111,010.1
20132,919.2
20159,909.3
201712,882.9
201913,496.5
202114,271.1
202317,552.0
202522,084.0
UK cumulative solar PV capacity at the end of December, MW, every second year from 2011 to 2025. All years are from the October 2026 release, which revises earlier months. (DESNZ (Solar photovoltaics deployment), Oct 2026)
  • UK solar capacity at the end of September 2026 was 8.9% (1.9 GW) higher than in September 2025. There were 296,000 installations in the past year, which DESNZ describes as the most in any 12-month period on record. (DESNZ (Solar photovoltaics deployment), Oct 2026)
  • Over the course of 2025 a total of 269,500 solar installations came online in the UK, which DESNZ describes as the most new installations in any calendar year. (DESNZ (Solar photovoltaics deployment), Oct 2026)
  • The 2.7 GW of new solar capacity added in the UK in 2025 was, in DESNZ's words, the highest annual figure since 2015, when 4.3 GW was added. (DESNZ (Solar photovoltaics deployment), Oct 2026)
  • At the end of September 2026 at least 38% of UK solar capacity (8.8 GW) came from ground-mounted or standalone installations. DESNZ estimates that ground-mount accounts for roughly 59% of total capacity once schemes it cannot identify directly are included. (DESNZ (Solar photovoltaics deployment), Oct 2026)
  • UK installations of 0 to 4 kW totalled 3,488.7 MW across 1,394,840 installations at the end of September 2026, and those of 4 to 10 kW totalled 3,523.5 MW across 660,698 installations. (DESNZ (Solar photovoltaics deployment), Oct 2026)
  • UK installations of 10 to 50 kW totalled 1,963.5 MW across 94,885 installations at the end of September 2026, and those of 50 kW to 5 MW totalled 4,014.7 MW across 8,970 installations. (DESNZ (Solar photovoltaics deployment), Oct 2026)
  • UK solar sites of 5 to 25 MW totalled 5,307.2 MW across 513 installations at the end of September 2026, and sites of 25 MW and over totalled 5,089.9 MW across 115 installations. (DESNZ (Solar photovoltaics deployment), Oct 2026)
  • UK cumulative solar PV capacity stood at 93.6 MW at the end of 2010, 5,600.5 MW at the end of 2014, 13,808.4 MW at the end of 2020 and 19,431.7 MW at the end of 2024. (DESNZ (Solar photovoltaics deployment), Oct 2026)

These are UK official statistics of installed capacity. The September 2026 figures are provisional, and the series does not capture all small unsubsidised installations. Superlatives are DESNZ's own wording.

How much UK solar is on homes?

  • UK domestic solar PV stood at 1,781,735 installations with 7,204 MW of capacity at the end of September 2026. DESNZ says the bulk of installations are domestic but they account for 31% of total capacity. (DESNZ (Solar photovoltaics deployment), Oct 2026)
  • Over the 12 months to September 2026, over 1 GW of domestic solar was installed across almost 200,000 UK homes. (DESNZ (Solar photovoltaics deployment), Oct 2026)
  • In September 2026, 19,449 of the new UK solar schemes were installed on a residential building, adding a total of 110 MW. (DESNZ (Solar photovoltaics deployment), Oct 2026)

The domestic count is of installations, not households, and is provisional for the latest month.

How much solar does Australia have?

Australian solar is led by rooftops: rooftop systems generated more electricity in 2025 than utility-scale solar farms did. The regulator's count of small systems keeps rising for a year after installation, so recent years are not final.

132,697 2016 174,942 2017 224,852 2018 284,031 2019 370,320 2020 377,458 2021 315,717 2022 333,865 2023 319,181 2024 272,480 2025
View data table
Small-scale solar PV systems installed in Australia by year of installation, 2016-2025. The 2025 count is not final: the regulator says figures for the current and previous year keep rising.
PeriodValue
2016132,697
2017174,942
2018224,852
2019284,031
2020370,320
2021377,458
2022315,717
2023333,865
2024319,181
2025272,480
Small-scale solar PV systems installed in Australia by year of installation, 2016-2025. The 2025 count is not final: the regulator says figures for the current and previous year keep rising. (Clean Energy Regulator (small-scale installations), Oct 2026)

The Clean Energy Regulator counts small solar PV systems that have had certificates validly created, so pending systems are missing and recent totals rise over time. The Clean Energy Council is an industry association; its rooftop capacity figure is not the regulator's series, and its rooftop and utility-scale generation shares are printed separately and are not added together here. The household share is quoted by Ember, not measured by it.

How much solar do Germany and India have?

Germany counts its PV in millions of small systems, while most of India's capacity is in ground-mounted plants. German figures are in GWp and Indian figures in GW, as each producer prints them.

100.80 GW Ground-mounted 23.16 GW Rooftop 5.55 GW Off-grid 3.34 GW Hybrid (solar part)
View data table
India's cumulative solar capacity by type as on 31 December 2025, GW, as printed by the Ministry of New and Renewable Energy.
PeriodValue
Ground-mounted100.80 GW
Rooftop23.16 GW
Off-grid5.55 GW
Hybrid (solar part)3.34 GW
India's cumulative solar capacity by type as on 31 December 2025, GW, as printed by the Ministry of New and Renewable Energy. (MNRE (Annual Report 2025-26), 2026)
  • Germany had approximately 5.7 million PV systems with a capacity of over 800 W in 2025, totalling 108 GWp, about 4% of the cumulative PV capacity installed worldwide (2974 GWp). (Fraunhofer ISE (Photovoltaics Report), Jul 2026)
  • Newly installed PV capacity in Germany amounted to approximately 16.6 GWp in 2025, compared with 16.9 GWp in 2024, according to the Bundesnetzagentur as cited by Fraunhofer ISE. (Fraunhofer ISE (Photovoltaics Report), Jul 2026)
  • PV accounted for 16.9% of net electricity generation in Germany in 2025, and all renewable energies for around 62%. (Fraunhofer ISE (Photovoltaics Report), Jul 2026)
  • India's cumulative solar capacity as on 31 December 2025 included 100.80 GW from ground-mounted solar, 23.16 GW from rooftop solar, 3.34 GW from the solar component of hybrid projects and 5.55 GW from off-grid solar. (MNRE (Annual Report 2025-26), 2026)
  • A further 128.36 GW of solar capacity was under implementation in India as on 31 December 2025, and 46.93 GW of solar, hybrid and related projects were at the tendering stage. (MNRE (Annual Report 2025-26), 2026)
  • Under India's PM Surya Ghar rooftop scheme, 55.62 lakh applications had been submitted and 26.05 lakh households had rooftop solar installed as on 31 December 2025. (MNRE (Annual Report 2025-26), 2026)

German capacity is in GWp and the German share is of net electricity generation. Fraunhofer ISE prints a second, different value for the 2025 German market elsewhere in the same report; the value used here is the one it attributes to the Bundesnetzagentur. India's annual report prints two different cumulative totals for 31 December 2025 in different chapters without saying what separates them, so neither total is used here. Capacity under implementation or tendering is a pipeline, not a forecast of completion. A lakh is 100,000.

How big is a home solar system and what does it cost?

A typical new US home system is under 10 kW and sits on a detached house, and most of the installed price is soft costs and other balance-of-system costs. Berkeley Lab reports installed prices from a large sample, while EnergySage reports quotes on its own marketplace, so the two are different measures.

25% Residential, 2024 37% Residential, 2025 11% Non-residential, 2025
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Share of new US distributed solar installs paired with battery storage, as reported by Berkeley Lab. Batteries added later to existing systems are not counted.
PeriodValue
Residential, 202425%
Residential, 202537%
Non-residential, 202511%
Share of new US distributed solar installs paired with battery storage, as reported by Berkeley Lab. Batteries added later to existing systems are not counted. (Berkeley Lab (Distributed Solar and Storage 2026), Aug 2026)

Berkeley Lab's dataset is a large sample, not a census, and California carries a lot of weight in it. Its prices are the up-front price paid by the system owner before incentives, with third-party-owned systems excluded. Income is the median of the adopter's census block group, not the household's own income. EnergySage figures are the firm's own platform data: quotes given to US homeowners shopping on its marketplace from January to June 2026, not installed prices. Wood Mackenzie reports direct-current capacity.

How much does solar electricity cost?

New utility-scale solar is cheap by the standard of new power plants, but the number depends on the producer, the country and whether tax credits are counted. Each figure below is one producer's own measure and they are not averaged.

$35 India $36 China $65 Germany
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Levelised cost of electricity from utility-scale solar PV commissioned in 2025 in three of the markets IRENA names, $ per MWh.
PeriodValue
India$35
China$36
Germany$65
Levelised cost of electricity from utility-scale solar PV commissioned in 2025 in three of the markets IRENA names, $ per MWh. (IRENA (Renewable power generation costs in 2025), Jul 2026)
  • Since 2010 the cost of electricity from solar PV has fallen by 89%, against 71% for onshore wind and 63% for offshore wind, on IRENA's global levelised cost measure. (IRENA (Renewable power generation costs in 2025), Jul 2026)
  • Across major markets, the levelised cost of new utility-scale solar PV in 2025 ranged from $35/MWh in India to $65/MWh in Germany, with China at $36/MWh. (IRENA (Renewable power generation costs in 2025), Jul 2026)
  • The global weighted-average total installed cost of utility-scale solar PV was $667/kW in 2025, after installed costs fell by around 6% in the year. Projects in China and India averaged $533/kW and $545/kW. (IRENA (Renewable power generation costs in 2025), Jul 2026)
  • The capacity-weighted installed cost of US utility-scale solar projects that came online in 2025 was $1.69/WAC ($1.31/WDC), up 2% from 2024 but down 72% from 2010. Average project size rose to 127 MWAC. (Berkeley Lab (Utility-Scale Solar 2026), Oct 2026)
  • The generation-weighted levelised cost of energy from US utility-scale PV was $61/MWh without tax credits and $41/MWh with tax credits in 2025, after rising 24% since 2022. (Berkeley Lab (Utility-Scale Solar 2026), Oct 2026)
  • Power purchase agreements for US utility-scale PV projects that started operating in 2025 had an average levelised price of $34/MWh, a 12% increase from 2024. NYISO had the highest average price ($72/MWh) and the Southeast the lowest ($26/MWh), in Berkeley Lab's sample. (Berkeley Lab (Utility-Scale Solar 2026), Oct 2026)
  • The wholesale energy and capacity market value of US utility-scale solar increased 32% in 2025, from $31/MWh in 2024 to $41/MWh on a national-average basis. ERCOT had the lowest standalone solar value at $23/MWh. (Berkeley Lab (Utility-Scale Solar 2026), Oct 2026)
  • Lazard's unsubsidised levelised cost of energy for new US utility-scale solar PV is $40 to $98 per MWh. Community and commercial and industrial solar PV is $88 to $197 per MWh, and utility-scale solar PV plus storage $61 to $156 per MWh. (Lazard (LCOE+ 2026), Jul 2026)
  • With US federal tax credits, Lazard's levelised cost for utility-scale solar PV is $27 to $83 per MWh with the investment tax credit or $16 to $81 per MWh with the production tax credit. Solar plus storage with the investment tax credit is $43 to $135 per MWh. (Lazard (LCOE+ 2026), Jul 2026)
  • Lazard's average utility-scale solar PV levelised cost fell 81% between 2009 and 2026 and rose 85% between 2021 and 2026. (Lazard (LCOE+ 2026), Jul 2026)
  • A 10 kWp rooftop PV system in Germany cost €900 to €1,500 per kWp at the end of 2025. (Fraunhofer ISE (Photovoltaics Report), Jul 2026)
  • A typical 10 to 100 kWp rooftop PV system in Germany cost around €14,000 per kWp in 1990. At the end of 2025 such systems cost less than 8% of that, a compound annual change in net prices of about -7% over 35 years. (Fraunhofer ISE (Photovoltaics Report), Jul 2026)
  • Over the last 45 years the PV module price has decreased by 26.7% with each doubling of cumulative global module production. The global average selling price was about $0.10 per Wp in 2025. (Fraunhofer ISE (Photovoltaics Report), Jul 2026)

IRENA's figures are global or country weighted averages for utility-scale projects commissioned in the year, excluding subsidies. Berkeley Lab's are from US project data for ground-mounted projects above 5 MWAC, in real dollars. Lazard's are a financial advisory firm's modelled ranges for new US plants, not measured project data, and its percentage changes use the average of the high and low ends of its range. Fraunhofer ISE's system prices are German net prices. None of these is comparable with the residential prices per watt in the home solar section.

How is solar paired with batteries and the grid?

Batteries now come attached to about half of the solar capacity waiting to connect to US grids, and California is where both pairing and curtailment are most visible. Queue capacity is a pipeline, not a forecast: not all of it will be built.

  • Solar 24,415 MW
  • Wind 12,453 MW
  • Geothermal 1,410 MW
  • Small hydro 1,140 MW
  • Biofuels 722 MW
Installed renewable resources on the California ISO grid as of 13 October 2026, MW. The five rows sum to the 40,140 MW total that CAISO prints. (CAISO (monthly statistics, September 2026), Oct 2026)
  • There were 772 GW of solar in US interconnection queues at the end of 2025 across all 7 ISOs and 50 utilities, down 19% from 2024. (Berkeley Lab (Utility-Scale Solar 2026), Oct 2026)
  • 49% of the solar capacity proposed in US interconnection queues is paired with battery storage, with the highest concentrations in CAISO (91%) and the non-ISO West (84%). (Berkeley Lab (Utility-Scale Solar 2026), Oct 2026)
  • 126 GW of solar entered US interconnection queues in 2025, the second consecutive year in which total queue capacity declined. (Berkeley Lab (Utility-Scale Solar 2026), Oct 2026)
  • Batteries were added to 48 US utility-scale PV projects in 2025: 32 new projects and 16 that already existed. All-in battery capital cost increased to $413/kWh. (Berkeley Lab (Utility-Scale Solar 2026), Oct 2026)
  • US PV-plus-battery hybrids built in 2025 had a storage-to-PV capacity ratio of 0.67 and a duration of 3.4 hours. The added cost was $0.97/WAC of PV, equivalent to a levelised cost adder of $24/MWh after tax credits. (Berkeley Lab (Utility-Scale Solar 2026), Oct 2026)
  • US developers plan to add 24 GW of utility-scale battery storage in 2026, compared with 15 GW added in 2025, which EIA calls a record. Texas accounts for 12.9 GW (53%), California 3.4 GW (14%) and Arizona 3.2 GW (13%). (EIA (2026 capacity additions), Feb 2026)
  • Battery storage makes up 28% of planned US capacity additions in 2026 and wind 14%. (EIA (2026 capacity additions), Feb 2026)
  • The California ISO's solar peak record is 23,896 MW, set on 19 August 2026 at 12:04 p.m. The previous record was 23,547 MW on 15 August 2026. (CAISO (monthly statistics, September 2026), Oct 2026)
  • Solar made up 60.8% of installed renewable resources on the California ISO grid as of 13 October 2026. (CAISO (monthly statistics, September 2026), Oct 2026)
  • The California ISO grid had 17,307 MW of installed battery capacity as of 30 September 2026. (CAISO (monthly statistics, September 2026), Oct 2026)
  • The California ISO curtailed 166,629 MWh of wind and solar output in September 2026. (CAISO (monthly statistics, September 2026), Oct 2026)
  • In 2024 the California ISO curtailed 3.4 million MWh of utility-scale wind and solar output, a 29% increase on 2023. Solar accounted for 93% of the energy curtailed. (EIA (California curtailments), May 2025)
  • Battery capacity in the California ISO increased by 45% in 2024, from 8.0 GW in 2023 to 11.6 GW in 2024. (EIA (California curtailments), May 2025)

Berkeley Lab prints 772 GW for queued solar in its summary and 773 GW in a slide title; the summary value is used here. The California ISO covers most of California, not the whole state, and its figures exclude rooftop solar behind the meter. Its monthly curtailment total is for wind and solar combined, and its battery figure excludes pumped storage. EIA's battery figures are power capacity in GW and its 2026 figures are developers' plans, not outcomes.

How many people work in solar?

It depends on the definition. The US Department of Energy counts workers in solar electric power generation from its employer survey, IREC counts workers who spend the majority of their time on solar, and the Bureau of Labor Statistics counts a single occupation, so the three totals are different measures.

  • Installation and project development 178,713
  • Wholesale trade and distribution 34,625
  • Manufacturing 32,491
  • Operations and maintenance 21,833
  • All others 12,457
US solar jobs by sector in 2024 in IREC's census, counting workers who spend the majority of their time on solar. (IREC (National Solar Jobs Census 2024), Nov 2025)
  • US solar electric power generation employment declined by 3% (11,000 workers) from 2024 to 2025 but was higher than in 2022, in the Department of Energy's count. (US Department of Energy (USEER 2026), Aug 2026)
  • Construction employed 172,600 of the US solar electric power generation workforce in 2025 (48%), and professional and business services 57,800 (16%). (US Department of Energy (USEER 2026), Aug 2026)
  • 77% of US solar electric power generation establishments that hired in the preceding year reported difficulty hiring in 2025, compared with 70% across electric power generation. (US Department of Energy (USEER 2026), Aug 2026)
  • Women made up 29% of the US solar electric power generation workforce in 2025 (103,000 workers) and men 71% (256,000). (US Department of Energy (USEER 2026), Aug 2026)
  • Hispanic or Latino workers made up 23% of the US solar electric power generation workforce in 2025 (83,000), veterans 8% (30,000) and workers represented by a union 12% (43,000). (US Department of Energy (USEER 2026), Aug 2026)
  • By age, 31% of the US solar electric power generation workforce in 2025 was 18 to 29 (110,000 workers), 54% was 30 to 54 (196,000) and 15% was over 54 (54,000). (US Department of Energy (USEER 2026), Aug 2026)
  • Employment of solar photovoltaic installers within US electric power generation grew 154% (4,400 workers) between 2022 and 2025, at an average hourly wage of $27 ($57,000 a year). (US Department of Energy (USEER 2026), Aug 2026)
  • US solar electric power generation employment in the utilities segment grew by over 70% (7,200 workers) from 2022 to 2025 and by 6% (1,000 workers) from 2024 to 2025. (US Department of Energy (USEER 2026), Aug 2026)
  • IREC counts 280,119 solar jobs in the United States in 2024, against 279,447 in 2023, counting workers who spend the majority of their time on solar. (IREC (National Solar Jobs Census 2024), Nov 2025)
  • An additional 93,487 people spent a plurality of their time on clean storage jobs in 2024, bringing the total to 464,053 workers in the solar and storage industry, in IREC's census. (IREC (National Solar Jobs Census 2024), Nov 2025)
  • About two-thirds of the solar jobs in IREC's 2024 census (178,713) were in installation and project development. (IREC (National Solar Jobs Census 2024), Nov 2025)
  • The median pay of US solar photovoltaic installers was $53,140 a year, or $25.55 an hour, in 2025, and the occupation held 31,100 jobs. (BLS (Occupational Outlook Handbook), Aug 2026)
  • Projection: US employment of solar photovoltaic installers is projected to grow 37% from 2025 to 2035, an increase of 11,300 jobs, with about 4,200 openings a year on average. (BLS (Occupational Outlook Handbook), Aug 2026)

The Department of Energy figure covers solar electric power generation across construction, manufacturing, wholesale, utilities and professional services, from the USEER employer survey. IREC's headline count uses a majority-of-time definition and covers 2024; its combined solar and storage total uses a wider plurality-of-time definition. The Bureau of Labor Statistics counts only workers classified as solar photovoltaic installers, and its median wage is not the same measure as the Department of Energy's average wage. The three counts are not compared as equals or added together.

Where are solar panels made and how efficient are they?

Almost all of them are made in Asia, and nearly all use crystalline silicon. Efficiency has kept rising while the silicon needed per watt has fallen.

  • Approximately 96% of solar modules and their components came from Asia in 2025. Annual production has increased about 12-fold over the past decade. (Fraunhofer ISE (Photovoltaics Report), Jul 2026)
  • Silicon wafer-based technology accounted for about 98% of total PV production in 2025, with an 86% share of n-type wafers, according to the ITRPV roadmap as cited by Fraunhofer ISE. (Fraunhofer ISE (Photovoltaics Report), Jul 2026)
  • The top 10 manufacturers represented about 85% of total PV module shipment volume in 2024. (Fraunhofer ISE (Photovoltaics Report), Jul 2026)
  • Over the past decade the efficiency of commercial monocrystalline silicon modules has risen from about 17% to just under 25%. CdTe module efficiency increased from 15.6% to almost 20%. (Fraunhofer ISE (Photovoltaics Report), Jul 2026)
  • The record laboratory cell efficiency for monocrystalline wafer-based technology is 28.1%, as reported by Fraunhofer ISE. (Fraunhofer ISE (Photovoltaics Report), Jul 2026)
  • Silicon use in silicon solar cells fell from around 16 g/Wp in 2004 to about 2.0 g/Wp in 2024. (Fraunhofer ISE (Photovoltaics Report), Jul 2026)
  • India's solar module manufacturing capacity under the government's Approved List of Models and Manufacturers reached approximately 144 GW a year, with about 81 GW added during calendar year 2025 against around 41 GW in 2024. (MNRE (Annual Report 2025-26), 2026)

Fraunhofer ISE's regional figure is for Asia as a whole and is not a China share. Its technology shares are ITRPV data and refer to 2025 production, while the shipment share refers to 2024. India's figure is nameplate manufacturing capacity enlisted on a government list, not production.

How long does a solar panel take to pay back its energy, and can it be recycled?

  • PV systems manufactured in Europe and installed in Northern Europe need approximately 1.1 years to pay back the energy used to make them. Systems installed in the South need 0.9 years. (Fraunhofer ISE (Photovoltaics Report), Jul 2026)
  • A PV system in Sicily using wafer-based silicon modules can produce twenty times the energy invested in it, assuming a 20-year lifetime. (Fraunhofer ISE (Photovoltaics Report), Jul 2026)
  • The European WEEE Directive requires at least 80% of the mass of old PV modules to be processed and recycled for reuse. It is technically feasible to recycle almost 100% of module materials, but for economic reasons only the glass, frame and junction box are recycled today. (Fraunhofer ISE (Photovoltaics Report), Jul 2026)
  • In 2025 about 63 million tonnes of CO2-equivalent emissions were avoided by the 87 TWh of PV electricity consumed in Germany. Around 71 TWh of that was fed into the public grid and 16.9 TWh was used by the system operators themselves. (Fraunhofer ISE (Photovoltaics Report), Jul 2026)
  • Projection: end-of-life solar panel waste in Australia is projected to rise from around 59,000 tonnes in 2025 to more than 91,000 tonnes by 2030 and towards one million tonnes by 2035. Up to 95% of panel components are recoverable. (Clean Energy Council (Clean Energy Australia 2026), May 2026)

Energy payback times are Fraunhofer ISE life-cycle results for systems made and installed in Europe; the 20-year lifetime is an assumption for the calculation. The 80% figure is a legal requirement and the 95% figure a technical ceiling; neither is a measured recycling rate. The Australian waste figures are a projection published by an industry association in 2026.

What do Americans think about solar power?

Most still want more of it, but support has fallen since the start of the decade and now splits sharply by party. Gallup asks about solar on its own; Pew asks about wind and solar together, so the two polls answer different questions.

66% More emphasis 17% Same emphasis 16% Less emphasis
View data table
How much emphasis US adults think the country should put on producing energy from solar power, Gallup, March 2026.
PeriodValue
More emphasis66%
Same emphasis17%
Less emphasis16%
How much emphasis US adults think the country should put on producing energy from solar power, Gallup, March 2026. (Gallup (Environment poll 2026), Apr 2026)
  • The share of US adults wanting more emphasis on solar power is down seven percentage points from Gallup's previous reading in 2021. In March 2026, 17% wanted the same emphasis and 16% less. (Gallup (Environment poll 2026), Apr 2026)
  • 55% of US adults prefer more emphasis on wind power, down 11 points from 2021, in the same Gallup poll. (Gallup (Environment poll 2026), Apr 2026)
  • 87% of Democrats and Democratic-leaning independents prefer more emphasis on solar power, compared with 38% of Republicans and Republican-leaning independents. Gallup says the 49-point gap for solar and the 59-point gap for wind are the largest of the six energy sources it asks about. (Gallup (Environment poll 2026), Apr 2026)
  • 57% of US adults say renewable energy should be given priority over fossil fuels, down from 79% in 2020. Pew's question pairs wind and solar together. (Pew Research Center (energy survey, March 2026), Apr 2026)
  • About two-thirds of US adults (65%) call for policies to expand production from wind and solar, which Pew says attract the most support. (Pew Research Center (energy survey, March 2026), Apr 2026)
  • Among Republicans and Republican leaners, 65% said in 2020 that the focus should be on renewables. Now 28% say this, while 71% say the priority should be on fossil fuels. (Pew Research Center (energy survey, March 2026), Apr 2026)
  • 43% of Republicans say solar costs consumers more than other energy sources and 24% say it costs less. For wind the figures are 44% and 19%. (Pew Research Center (energy survey, March 2026), Apr 2026)

Both are surveys of US adults fielded in March 2026. Gallup asks whether the country should put more, less or about the same emphasis on each of six energy sources, with solar asked on its own. Pew asks about wind and solar jointly, set against expanding oil, coal and natural gas. The two questions differ, so the percentages are not compared with each other.

What is the outlook for solar?

Forecasters expect global growth to pause before it resumes, while US official forecasts still show capacity rising each year. Everything in this section is a forecast, projection or plan, labelled with who made it and when.

123 GW 2024 152 GW 2025 183 GW 2026 (projected) 223 GW 2027 (projected)
View data table
US solar generating capacity in EIA's Short-Term Energy Outlook of November 2026, GW. The 2026 and 2027 values are projections.
PeriodValue
2024123 GW
2025152 GW
2026 (projected)183 GW
2027 (projected)223 GW
US solar generating capacity in EIA's Short-Term Energy Outlook of November 2026, GW. The 2026 and 2027 values are projections. (EIA (Short-Term Energy Outlook, Nov 2026), Nov 2026)
  • Forecast: the fall in global installations that SolarPower Europe expects in 2026 would be, in its words, the first contraction in over 20 years, driven largely by an expected 24% drop in installations in China (forecast made June 2026). (SolarPower Europe (Global Solar Market Outlook 2026-2030), Jun 2026)
  • Forecast: SolarPower Europe projects annual global solar installations of around 864 GW by 2030, with total global capacity growing to 6.6 TW (forecast made June 2026). (SolarPower Europe (Global Solar Market Outlook 2026-2030), Jun 2026)
  • Forecast: EIA expects the share of total US generation supplied by utility-scale solar plants to rise from 7% in 2025 to 8% in 2026 and nearly 10% in 2027 (Short-Term Energy Outlook, November 2026). (EIA (Short-Term Energy Outlook, Nov 2026), Nov 2026)
  • Forecast: EIA expects 72 GW of new US solar capacity to come online across 2026 and 2027 (Short-Term Energy Outlook, November 2026). (EIA (Short-Term Energy Outlook, Nov 2026), Nov 2026)
  • Forecast: Wood Mackenzie expects US solar additions to stabilise at around 44 GWdc a year through 2031, reaching over 545 GWdc of cumulative capacity by 2031 (forecast made September 2026). (Wood Mackenzie (US solar market report, Q3 2026), Sep 2026)
  • Forecast: Wood Mackenzie expects a 23% year-over-year contraction in US residential solar installations in 2026 (forecast made September 2026). (Wood Mackenzie (US solar market report, Q3 2026), Sep 2026)
  • The US utility-scale pipeline that has secured tax-credit eligibility totals over 200 GWdc, and permitting delays affect an estimated 30% of the early-stage utility-scale pipeline, according to Wood Mackenzie. (Wood Mackenzie (US solar market report, Q3 2026), Sep 2026)
  • EIA lists 135 GWAC of planned US solar additions by 2030, as cited by Berkeley Lab. (Berkeley Lab (Utility-Scale Solar 2026), Oct 2026)
  • Projection: IRENA analysis suggests the global weighted-average total installed cost of utility-scale solar PV could decline to $407/kW by 2030, about 39% below 2025, and reach $351/kW by 2035, a further 14% (published July 2026). (IRENA (Renewable power generation costs in 2025), Jul 2026)

Forecasts are not outcomes. SolarPower Europe's figures are its Medium Scenario for the world. EIA's outlook covers utility-scale plants in the electric power sector and is reissued every month at the same address, so the figures here are the November 2026 vintage. Wood Mackenzie's base case is in direct-current capacity for all segments and depends on federal policy. Planned additions listed by EIA are developers' plans.

Glossary

AC and DC capacity
Solar panels produce direct current (DC) and the grid runs on alternating current (AC). A plant's DC panel capacity is usually larger than its AC grid capacity, so a total counted in DC is higher than the same fleet counted in AC.
GW, GWp and TW
A gigawatt (GW) is 1,000 megawatts (MW) and a terawatt (TW) is 1,000 GW. GWp, or gigawatt-peak, is the rated DC output of panels under standard test conditions.
TWh and GWh
Terawatt hours and gigawatt hours measure electricity generated over time, not installed capacity.
PV
Photovoltaics: panels that turn sunlight directly into electricity.
CSP
Concentrated solar power: mirrors that focus sunlight to make heat, which then drives a generator.
Utility-scale solar
Large plants that sell power to the grid. EIA uses a threshold of 1 MW; Berkeley Lab uses ground-mounted projects above 5 MWAC.
Distributed solar
Smaller systems on or near the buildings they serve, including home rooftops. IEA PVPS sets it against centralised plants.
LCOE
Levelised cost of electricity: the lifetime cost of building and running a plant divided by the electricity it is expected to produce.
PPA
Power purchase agreement: a long-term contract to buy a plant's output at an agreed price.
ITC and PTC
The US federal investment tax credit and production tax credit.
Capacity factor
Actual output over a period as a share of what the plant would produce running at full capacity throughout.
Curtailment
Output that a grid operator orders plants to withhold, usually because supply exceeds demand or the lines are full.
Interconnection queue
The list of proposed power plants that have applied to connect to the grid. Many queued projects are never built.
Attachment rate
The share of new solar installations that are installed together with a battery.
TPO
Third-party ownership: a lease or power purchase agreement in which a company, not the homeowner, owns the system.
EPG
Electric power generation, the sector grouping used in the US Energy and Employment Report.
CAISO, ERCOT and NYISO
Grid operators for most of California, most of Texas and New York State.
Lakh
An Indian unit equal to 100,000.

Methodology and sources

This page compiles solar energy statistics from the organisations that produce them: IEA PVPS, Ember, IRENA, SolarPower Europe, the US Energy Information Administration, Berkeley Lab, the US Department of Energy, the Bureau of Labor Statistics, IREC, Lazard, Wood Mackenzie, EnergySage, the UK Department for Energy Security and Net Zero, Australia's Clean Energy Regulator and Clean Energy Council, India's Ministry of New and Renewable Energy, Fraunhofer ISE, the California ISO, Pew Research Center and Gallup. Every figure links to the document that carries it and keeps the unit its producer prints. Where producers measure different things (direct-current against alternating-current capacity, utility-scale against all solar, capacity against generation, different definitions of a solar job, different survey questions), the figures are given side by side and are never merged, averaged or charted together. Where a source prints two values for the same thing without saying what separates them, or prints a figure that looks like a misprint, that figure is left out; a producer's number is never corrected here. Forecasts, projections and plans are labelled with who made them and when. A company's own platform data is labelled as such. The figures are reviewed every month.