Electrification
Mapped: Solar Power by Country in 2021
Mapped: Solar Power by Country in 2021
The world is adopting renewable energy at an unprecedented pace, and solar power is 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:
Country | Installed capacity, megawatts | Watts* per capita | % of world total |
---|---|---|---|
China 🇨🇳 | 254,355 | 147 | 35.6% |
U.S. 🇺🇸 | 75,572 | 231 | 10.6% |
Japan 🇯🇵 | 67,000 | 498 | 9.4% |
Germany 🇩🇪 | 53,783 | 593 | 7.5% |
India 🇮🇳 | 39,211 | 32 | 5.5% |
Italy 🇮🇹 | 21,600 | 345 | 3.0% |
Australia 🇦🇺 | 17,627 | 637 | 2.5% |
Vietnam 🇻🇳 | 16,504 | 60 | 2.3% |
South Korea 🇰🇷 | 14,575 | 217 | 2.0% |
Spain 🇪🇸 | 14,089 | 186 | 2.0% |
United Kingdom 🇬🇧 | 13,563 | 200 | 1.9% |
France 🇫🇷 | 11,733 | 148 | 1.6% |
Netherlands 🇳🇱 | 10,213 | 396 | 1.4% |
Brazil 🇧🇷 | 7,881 | 22 | 1.1% |
Turkey 🇹🇷 | 6,668 | 73 | 0.9% |
South Africa 🇿🇦 | 5,990 | 44 | 0.8% |
Taiwan 🇹🇼 | 5,817 | 172 | 0.8% |
Belgium 🇧🇪 | 5,646 | 394 | 0.8% |
Mexico 🇲🇽 | 5,644 | 35 | 0.8% |
Ukraine 🇺🇦 | 5,360 | 114 | 0.8% |
Poland 🇵🇱 | 3,936 | 34 | 0.6% |
Canada 🇨🇦 | 3,325 | 88 | 0.5% |
Greece 🇬🇷 | 3,247 | 258 | 0.5% |
Chile 🇨🇱 | 3,205 | 142 | 0.4% |
Switzerland 🇨🇭 | 3,118 | 295 | 0.4% |
Thailand 🇹🇭 | 2,988 | 43 | 0.4% |
United Arab Emirates 🇦🇪 | 2,539 | 185 | 0.4% |
Austria 🇦🇹 | 2,220 | 178 | 0.3% |
Czech Republic 🇨🇿 | 2,073 | 194 | 0.3% |
Hungary 🇭🇺 | 1,953 | 131 | 0.3% |
Egypt 🇪🇬 | 1,694 | 17 | 0.2% |
Malaysia 🇲🇾 | 1,493 | 28 | 0.2% |
Israel 🇮🇱 | 1,439 | 134 | 0.2% |
Russia 🇷🇺 | 1,428 | 7 | 0.2% |
Sweden 🇸🇪 | 1,417 | 63 | 0.2% |
Romania 🇷🇴 | 1,387 | 71 | 0.2% |
Jordan 🇯🇴 | 1,359 | 100 | 0.2% |
Denmark 🇩🇰 | 1,300 | 186 | 0.2% |
Bulgaria 🇧🇬 | 1,073 | 152 | 0.2% |
Philippines 🇵🇭 | 1,048 | 9 | 0.1% |
Portugal 🇵🇹 | 1,025 | 81 | 0.1% |
Argentina 🇦🇷 | 764 | 17 | 0.1% |
Pakistan 🇵🇰 | 737 | 6 | 0.1% |
Morocco 🇲🇦 | 734 | 6 | 0.1% |
Slovakia 🇸🇰 | 593 | 87 | 0.1% |
Honduras 🇭🇳 | 514 | 53 | 0.1% |
Algeria 🇩🇿 | 448 | 10 | 0.1% |
El Salvador 🇸🇻 | 429 | 66 | 0.1% |
Iran 🇮🇷 | 414 | 5 | 0.1% |
Saudi Arabia 🇸🇦 | 409 | 12 | 0.1% |
Finland 🇫🇮 | 391 | 39 | 0.1% |
Dominican Republic 🇩🇴 | 370 | 34 | 0.1% |
Peru 🇵🇪 | 331 | 10 | 0.05% |
Singapore 🇸🇬 | 329 | 45 | 0.05% |
Bangladesh 🇧🇩 | 301 | 2 | 0.04% |
Slovenia 🇸🇮 | 267 | 128 | 0.04% |
Uruguay 🇺🇾 | 256 | 74 | 0.04% |
Yemen 🇾🇪 | 253 | 8 | 0.04% |
Iraq 🇮🇶 | 216 | 5 | 0.03% |
Cambodia 🇰🇭 | 208 | 12 | 0.03% |
Cyprus 🇨🇾 | 200 | 147 | 0.03% |
Panama 🇵🇦 | 198 | 46 | 0.03% |
Luxembourg 🇱🇺 | 195 | 244 | 0.03% |
Malta 🇲🇹 | 184 | 312 | 0.03% |
Indonesia 🇮🇩 | 172 | 1 | 0.02% |
Cuba 🇨🇺 | 163 | 14 | 0.02% |
Belarus 🇧🇾 | 159 | 17 | 0.02% |
Senegal 🇸🇳 | 155 | 8 | 0.02% |
Norway 🇳🇴 | 152 | 17 | 0.02% |
Lithuania 🇱🇹 | 148 | 37 | 0.02% |
Namibia 🇳🇦 | 145 | 55 | 0.02% |
New Zealand 🇳🇿 | 142 | 29 | 0.02% |
Estonia 🇪🇪 | 130 | 98 | 0.02% |
Bolivia 🇧🇴 | 120 | 10 | 0.02% |
Oman 🇴🇲 | 109 | 21 | 0.02% |
Colombia 🇨🇴 | 107 | 2 | 0.01% |
Kenya 🇰🇪 | 106 | 2 | 0.01% |
Guatemala 🇬🇹 | 101 | 6 | 0.01% |
Croatia 🇭🇷 | 85 | 17 | 0.01% |
World total 🌎 | 713,970 | 83 | 100.0% |
*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.
China: The Solar Champion
In 2020, President Xi Jinping stated that China aims to be carbon neutral by 2060, and the country is taking steps to get there.
China is a leader in the solar industry, and it seems to have cracked the code for the entire solar supply chain. In 2019, Chinese firms produced 66% of the world’s polysilicon, the initial building block of silicon-based photovoltaic (PV) panels. Furthermore, more than three-quarters of solar cells came from China, along with 72% of the world’s PV panels.
With that said, it’s no surprise that 5 of the world’s 10 largest solar parks are in China, and it will likely continue to build more as it transitions to carbon neutrality.
What’s Driving the Rush for Solar Power?
The energy transition is a major factor in the rise of renewables, but solar’s growth is partly due to how cheap it has become over time. Solar energy costs have fallen exponentially over the last decade, and it’s now the cheapest source of new energy generation.
Since 2010, the cost of solar power has seen a 85% decrease, down from $0.28 to $0.04 per kWh. According to MIT researchers, economies of scale have been the single-largest factor in continuing the cost decline for the last decade. In other words, as the world installed and made more solar panels, production became cheaper and more efficient.
This year, solar costs are rising due to supply chain issues, but the rise is likely to be temporary as bottlenecks resolve.
Electrification
Top 20 Countries by Battery Storage Capacity
China holds about two-thirds of global BESS capacity.

Visualizing the Top 20 Countries by Battery Storage Capacity
Over the past three years, the Battery Energy Storage System (BESS) market has been the fastest-growing segment of global battery demand. These systems store electricity using batteries, helping stabilize the grid, store renewable energy, and provide backup power.
In 2024, the market grew by 52%, compared to 25% growth in the EV battery market. Among the top companies in the BESS market are technology giants such as Samsung, LG, BYD, Panasonic, and Tesla.
This graphic highlights the top 20 BESS markets by current and planned grid capacity in gigawatt hour (GWh), based on exclusive data from Rho Motion as of February 2025.
Chinese Dominance
As with the EV market, China currently dominates global BESS deployments, accounting for approximately two-thirds of installed capacity. However, other markets are expected to grow significantly in the coming years, driven by low-cost lithium-ion cells and the expansion of renewable energy capacity.
Currently, China has 215.5 GWh of installed capacity and an ambitious 505.6 GWh project pipeline. The U.S. follows with 82.1 GWh installed and 162.5 GWh planned.
Top BESS Markets | Installed 2024 (GWh) | 2027P |
---|---|---|
🇨🇳 China | 215.5 | 721.2 |
🇺🇸 USA | 82.1 | 244.6 |
🇬🇧 UK | 7.5 | 56.3 |
🇦🇺 Australia | 5.6 | 102.9 |
🇨🇱 Chile | 3.8 | 41.0 |
🇮🇹 Italy | 2.2 | 7.9 |
🇸🇦 Saudi Arabia | 1.3 | 32.4 |
🇿🇦 South Africa | 1.3 | 9.4 |
🇮🇪 Ireland | 1.6 | 2.5 |
🇵🇭 Philippines | 1.0 | 6.1 |
🇯🇵 Japan | 1.0 | 5.0 |
🇩🇪 Germany | 1.0 | 6.2 |
🇰🇷 South Korea | 1.1 | 1.3 |
🇮🇱 Israel | 0.8 | 4.6 |
🇫🇷 France | 0.6 | 1.8 |
🇧🇪 Belgium | 0.7 | 5.3 |
🇺🇿 Uzbekistan | 0.6 | 5.9 |
🇸🇪 Sweden | 0.6 | 1.5 |
🇮🇳 India | 0.5 | 4.3 |
🇨🇦 Canada | 0.3 | 18.3 |
Canada is projected to be the fastest-growing market through 2027, with its cumulative capacity hitting 18.3 GWh—a significant increase from its current 0.3 GWh capacity.
Countries such as Australia (97.3 GWh pipeline), Saudi Arabia (31.1 GWh), and Chile (37.2 GWh) have relatively small current installations but plan substantial expansions. Within Europe, the UK leads with 7.5 GWh of installed capacity and 48.7 GWh in the pipeline, while Italy, Germany, France, and Belgium show steady but more modest growth.
Despite being technological leaders, Japan (4 GWh pipeline) and South Korea (0.3 GWh) have relatively low planned BESS expansions.
According to Rho Motion, China will remain the dominant player in 2027, but its share of the total market is expected to decline to just over 50% based on the current project pipeline.
While the BESS market is expanding, challenges remain, including grid connection bottlenecks and the development of revenue streams in emerging markets.
Electrification
Visualizing Chinese EV Market Share Overseas
Chinese brands accounted for 62% of global EV sales in 2024.

Visualizing Chinese EV Market Share Overseas
China is the undisputed global powerhouse of the EV industry, leading in both domestic sales and overall production. Chinese brands were responsible for 62% of EV global sales in 2024.
This graphic shows the presence of Chinese electric vehicles in other countries, considering total EV sales and market share. This data comes exclusively from Rho Motion’s EV Sales Quarterly Outlook, as of 2024.
Affordable EVs
As the global EV market has expanded, in 2024, over 17 million units were sold. Chinese manufacturers have aggressively pursued international opportunities, offering affordable vehicles that often undercut local competitors.
However, market access has varied significantly across regions. The U.S. and Canada are the only markets where Chinese-made EVs have no presence. The U.S. has taken a firm stance against Chinese EVs, imposing a 100% tariff in 2024, and more recently enacting laws banning Chinese technology in EVs on U.S. roads. Given its deep economic ties with the U.S., Canada followed suit with identical tariffs.
Country | Total EV Sales | Chinese Market Share |
---|---|---|
🇺🇸 U.S. | 1,540,354 | 0% |
🇩🇪 Germany | 577,630 | 4% |
🇬🇧 UK | 571,141 | 7% |
🇫🇷 France | 464,589 | 5% |
🇨🇦 Canada | 246,424 | 0% |
🇧🇪 Belgium | 192,560 | 3% |
🇳🇱 Netherlands | 190,784 | 6% |
🇸🇪 Sweden | 165,256 | 5% |
🇳🇴 Norway | 126,088 | 9% |
🇧🇷 Brazil | 125,624 | 82% |
🇪🇸 Spain | 122,375 | 10% |
🇮🇹 Italy | 121,889 | 6% |
🇯🇵 Japan | 114,129 | 2% |
🇦🇺 Australia | 113,511 | 26% |
🇮🇳 India | 104,426 | 23% |
🇩🇰 Denmark | 103,202 | 8% |
🇲🇽 Mexico | 95,282 | 70% |
🇹🇭 Thailand | 77,250 | 77% |
🇵🇹 Portugal | 72,070 | 8% |
🇮🇱 Israel | 69,595 | 64% |
🇨🇭 Switzerland | 68,407 | 1% |
🇦🇹 Austria | 63,717 | 11% |
🇮🇩 Indonesia | 43,202 | 75% |
🇫🇮 Finland | 37,881 | 2% |
🇮🇪 Ireland | 30,105 | 9% |
🇸🇬 Singapore | 29,521 | 26% |
🇲🇾 Malaysia | 21,798 | 52% |
🇳🇵 Nepal | 12,705 | 74% |
🇳🇿 New Zealand | 10,027 | 15% |
🇨🇱 Chile | 5,604 | 42% |
Europe, by contrast, has been more open to Chinese EVs but remains cautious about protecting its domestic automotive industry. In 2024, following an anti-subsidy investigation, the EU introduced variable BEV import tariffs on specific Chinese automakers of up to an additional 35.3%.
Meanwhile, in countries without a strong domestic auto industry, Chinese EVs have rapidly gained market share. This is especially evident in neighboring Asian countries and in South and Central America, where Chinese manufacturers are expanding aggressively by beginning to build production capacity and capitalizing on the demand for affordable electric vehicles.
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