The 33 leading countries for utility-scale solar deployment installed at least 182.7 GW in 2024, according to PV data consultancy Wiki-Solar.
The latest league table, which includes all projects above 4 MW, shows these countries now account for 765 GW in cumulative solar capacity, or about 93% of the global total. Based on typical PV performance ratios, Wiki-Solar estimates this capacity equates to 1 TWp of solar energy.
Wiki-Solar’s analysis finds that Asia contributed more than half of the growth in utility-scale projects in 2024, with China and India holding the top two spots. The US market ranks second, having doubled its new installations in 2023 and nearly doubled them again in 2024.
Spain and Italy rank fourth and fifth, helping Europe recover from a lull, while Brazil has overtaken Chile as the leading South American nation for utility-scale capacity.
Wiki-Solar founder Philip Wolfe predicts the global utility-scale market will exceed 1 TW by 2025, based on the current project pipeline. He added that the current league table includes provisional figures, with fourth-quarter data from countries like China still to be finalised.
Author: Patrick Jowett
This article was originally published in pv magazine and is republished with permission.
