Solar panels are wonderful: you install them and then you get free energy from the sun. The expensive part of solar panels is buying and installing the panels; after that the costs of operation are basically zero. This is the opposite of fossil fuels since with fossil fuels you buy a cheap fuel tank and pay forever for the fuel. The global economy has finally caught on to the genius of solar energy and are increasing panels at a fantastic pace. Countries that don’t embrace free renewable power will find themselves left behind.
Outside 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 recorded the second highest installations 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. Deployment dipped slightly in Germany and Brazil. The remaining countries added 65 GW in H1-2025, 22% more than in H1-2024.
Growth in Africa is also beginning to take-off, as the amount of solar panels it imported from China rose 60% in the last 12 months, as Ember reported. However, lack of access to official installation data still obscures the actual pace of solar deployment on the continent.
With deployment surging across key markets and China’s rapid scale-up pushing global installations to new highs, 2025 is on track to become another historic year for solar power. The numbers highlight not only solar’s momentum, but also its pivotal role in reshaping the global energy system.