PVTIME – Analysis from SolarPower Europe’s Global Solar Market Outlook 2026–2030 confirms that global photovoltaic deployments reached a record 664GW DC in 2025. This figure rose by 12% year on year, following growth of 32% in 2024. Solar power accounted for 77% of all new renewable energy capacity commissioned worldwide that year, generating 2,778TWh of electricity and meeting around 9% of the world’s power demand. Total installed solar capacity surpassed 3TW at the start of 2026, having tripled over four years. Annual solar output equalled five years of liquefied natural gas flows through the Strait of Hormuz, thereby strengthening international energy security.
China remained the world’s leading solar market, installing 382GW of new capacity and representing 57% of global additions. India secured second position after deploying 45.7GW of solar capacity, achieving 49% annual growth and overtaking the United States. Meanwhile, the EU’s 27 member states delivered a modest 1% growth via 67.2GW of new builds. Widespread uptake of solar energy paired with battery storage was recorded in India, France, and Saudi Arabia. Australia’s well-established rooftop solar market exceeded 45GW of cumulative capacity after adding 4.8GW in 2025, alongside rapid expansion in domestic battery storage assets.
Walburga Hemetsberger, the chief executive of SolarPower Europe, stated that solar energy had cemented its position as the world’s fastest-growing power technology. However, she added that future sector expansion would rely heavily on improved grid integration rather than continuous capacity expansion. Grid bottlenecks, generation curtailment and negative electricity prices now present cross-market operational challenges, requiring greater investment in transmission infrastructure, energy storage and flexible grid solutions to sustain the rollout of renewables.
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