Global solar installations are set to achieve another “record” year, with 380GW of new solar capacity added worldwide in the first six months of 2025, according to a report by energy think tank Ember.
This marks a 64% increase compared to the 232GW installed during the same period in 2024.
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In 2024, global solar capacity additions did not surpass 350GW until September, whereas in 2025, this milestone was reached by June.
The rapid expansion of solar capacity has positioned it as the fastest-growing source of new electricity generation.
In 2024, global solar output surged by 28% (an increase of 469TWh) compared to 2023, outpacing all other energy sources.
China continues to dominate this growth, accounting for 67% of global solar installations in the first half of 2025, up from 54% in the same period of 2024.
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By GlobalDataIts installations more than doubled year-on-year, driven partly by developers rushing to complete projects before new wind and solar compensation rules took effect in June 2025.
While this may lead to a slowdown in the second half of the year, new clean power procurement requirements for industry and higher full-year deployment expectations from China’s solar PV association CPIA indicate that 2025 will exceed 2024’s record installations.
Beyond China, other countries collectively installed an estimated 124GW in the first half of 2025, a 15% increase from the first half of 2024.
India secured the second-highest installations with 24GW, a 49% rise from the 16GW added in the same period last year.
The US followed with 21GW, up 4% year-on-year, despite recent government moves to restrict clean power deployment.
Installations in Germany and Brazil saw a slight decline while the remaining countries added 65GW, a 22% increase from the first half of 2024.
Africa is also witnessing emerging growth, with a 60% rise in solar panel imports from China over the past 12 months.
However, the lack of official installation data continues to obscure the true pace of solar deployment on the continent.
Ember senior energy analyst Nicolas Fulghum said: “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.”
