Solar By Country
Mapped: Solar Power by Country in 2021
Published
1 year ago
November 17, 2021
Mapped: Solar Power by Country in 2021
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The world is adopting renewable energy at an unprecedented pace, and solar power is the energy source leading the way.
Despite a 4.5% fall in global energy demand in 2020, renewable energy technologies showed promising progress. While the growth in renewables was strong across the board, solar power led from the front with 127 gigawatts installed in 2020, its largest-ever annual capacity expansion.
The above infographic uses data from the International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA) to map solar power capacity by country in 2021. This includes both solar photovoltaic (PV) and concentrated solar power capacity.
The Solar Power Leaderboard
From the Americas to Oceania, countries in virtually every continent (except Antarctica) added more solar to their mix last year. Here’s a snapshot of solar power capacity by country at the beginning of 2021:
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CountryInstalled capacity, megawattsWatts* per capita% of world total
China 🇨🇳254,35514735.6%U.S.
🇺🇸75,57223110.6%Japan
🇯🇵67,0004989.4%Germany
🇩🇪53,7835937.5%India 🇮🇳39,211325.5%Italy
🇮🇹21,6003453.0%Australia
🇦🇺17,6276372.5%Vietnam
🇻🇳16,504602.3%South Korea 🇰🇷14,5752172.0%Spain
🇪🇸14,0891862.0%
World total 🌎713,97083100.0%
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*1 megawatt = 1,000,000 watts.
China is the undisputed leader in solar installations, with over 35% of global capacity. What’s more, the country is showing no signs of slowing down. It has the world’s largest wind and solar project in the pipeline, which could add another 400,000MW to its clean energy capacity.
Following China from afar is the U.S., which recently surpassed 100,000MW of solar power capacity after installing another 50,000MW in the first three months of 2021. Annual solar growth in the U.S. has averaged an impressive 42% over the last decade. Policies like the solar investment tax credit, which offers a 26% tax credit on residential and commercial solar systems, have helped propel the industry forward.
Although Australia hosts a fraction of China’s solar capacity, it tops the per capita rankings due to its relatively low population of 26 million people. The Australian continent receives the highest amount of solar radiation of any continent, and over 30% of Australian households now have rooftop solar PV systems.