Electricity production from solar worldwide 2023, by country

China continues to dominate the global solar power landscape, producing a staggering ***** terawatt hours of solar energy in 2024. The United States ranked second that year by a wide margin, with less than half of China's production. India and Japan round out the top four, highlighting the significant role Asian countries play in the solar energy sector.

Global solar capacity growth

The impressive production figures reflect the rapid expansion of solar photovoltaic capacity worldwide. In 2024, global cumulative solar PV capacity reached *** terawatts, with approximately *** gigawatts of new capacity added that year alone. This growth is particularly pronounced in Asia, where an estimated **** terawatts of new solar PV systems were installed, far outpacing other regions such as Europe and North America, which installed a total capacity of *** and *** gigawatts of solar during 2024, respectively.

Economic factors driving solar adoption

The surge in solar power production is largely attributed to falling costs and increased investment in the sector. In 2023, the cost of utility-scale solar photovoltaics decreased globally, with countries such as China seeing prices around *** U.S. dollars per kilowatt installed. This declining cost trend has made solar energy increasingly competitive and attractive to investors, outpacing investments in other renewable energy sectors.