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Mapped: Solar Power by Country in 2021

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Solar Power by Country

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:

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%
United Kingdom 🇬🇧 13,5632001.9%
France 🇫🇷 11,7331481.6%
Netherlands 🇳🇱 10,2133961.4%
Brazil 🇧🇷 7,881221.1%
Turkey 🇹🇷 6,668730.9%
South Africa 🇿🇦 5,990440.8%
Taiwan 🇹🇼 5,8171720.8%
Belgium 🇧🇪 5,6463940.8%
Mexico 🇲🇽 5,644350.8%
Ukraine 🇺🇦 5,3601140.8%
Poland 🇵🇱 3,936340.6%
Canada 🇨🇦 3,325880.5%
Greece 🇬🇷 3,2472580.5%
Chile 🇨🇱 3,2051420.4%
Switzerland 🇨🇭 3,1182950.4%
Thailand 🇹🇭 2,988430.4%
United Arab Emirates 🇦🇪 2,5391850.4%
Austria 🇦🇹 2,2201780.3%
Czech Republic 🇨🇿 2,0731940.3%
Hungary 🇭🇺 1,9531310.3%
Egypt 🇪🇬 1,694170.2%
Malaysia 🇲🇾 1,493280.2%
Israel 🇮🇱 1,4391340.2%
Russia 🇷🇺 1,42870.2%
Sweden 🇸🇪 1,417630.2%
Romania 🇷🇴 1,387710.2%
Jordan 🇯🇴 1,3591000.2%
Denmark 🇩🇰 1,3001860.2%
Bulgaria 🇧🇬 1,0731520.2%
Philippines 🇵🇭 1,04890.1%
Portugal 🇵🇹 1,025810.1%
Argentina 🇦🇷 764170.1%
Pakistan 🇵🇰 73760.1%
Morocco 🇲🇦 73460.1%
Slovakia 🇸🇰 593870.1%
Honduras 🇭🇳 514530.1%
Algeria 🇩🇿 448100.1%
El Salvador 🇸🇻 429660.1%
Iran 🇮🇷 41450.1%
Saudi Arabia 🇸🇦 409120.1%
Finland 🇫🇮 391390.1%
Dominican Republic 🇩🇴 370340.1%
Peru 🇵🇪 331100.05%
Singapore 🇸🇬 329450.05%
Bangladesh 🇧🇩 30120.04%
Slovenia 🇸🇮 2671280.04%
Uruguay 🇺🇾 256740.04%
Yemen 🇾🇪 25380.04%
Iraq 🇮🇶 21650.03%
Cambodia 🇰🇭 208120.03%
Cyprus 🇨🇾 2001470.03%
Panama 🇵🇦 198460.03%
Luxembourg 🇱🇺 1952440.03%
Malta 🇲🇹 1843120.03%
Indonesia 🇮🇩 17210.02%
Cuba 🇨🇺 163140.02%
Belarus 🇧🇾 159170.02%
Senegal 🇸🇳 15580.02%
Norway 🇳🇴 152170.02%
Lithuania 🇱🇹 148370.02%
Namibia 🇳🇦 145550.02%
New Zealand 🇳🇿 142290.02%
Estonia 🇪🇪 130980.02%
Bolivia 🇧🇴 120100.02%
Oman 🇴🇲 109210.02%
Colombia 🇨🇴 10720.01%
Kenya 🇰🇪 10620.01%
Guatemala 🇬🇹10160.01%
Croatia 🇭🇷 85170.01%
World total 🌎 713,97083100.0%

*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.

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Electrification

Charted: The Energy Demand of U.S. Data Centers

Data center power needs are projected to triple by 2030.

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bar chart showing energy demand from data centers

Charted: The Energy Demand of U.S. Data Centers

This was originally posted on our Voronoi app. Download the app for free on iOS or Android and discover incredible data-driven charts from a variety of trusted sources.

As the digital economy accelerates and generative AI becomes more deeply embedded in business and daily life, the physical infrastructure supporting these technologies is undergoing a transformative explosion.

In this graphic, we use data from McKinsey to show current and projected energy demand from data centers in the United States. Data is from October 2023.

U.S. Data Centers Could Quadruple Power Demand by 2030

Today, data centers account for roughly 4% of total U.S. electricity consumption. But by 2030, that share is projected to rise to 12%, driven by unprecedented growth in computing power, storage needs, and AI model training.

In fact, U.S. data center energy demand is set to jump from 224 terawatt-hours in 2025 to 606 terawatt-hours in 2030.

YearConsumption (TWh)% of Total Power Demand
20231474%
20241784%
20252245%
20262927%
20273718%
20284509%
202951310%
203060612%

Meeting this projected demand could require $500 billion in new data center infrastructure, along with a vast expansion of electricity generation, grid capacity, and water-cooling systems. Generative AI alone could require 50–60 GW of additional infrastructure.

This massive investment would also depend on upgrades in permitting, land use, and supply chain logistics. For example, the lead time to power new data centers in large markets such as Northern Virginia can exceed three years. In some cases, lead times for electrical equipment are two years or more.

A Strain on the U.S. Grid

The U.S. has experienced relatively flat power demand since 2007. Models suggest that this stability could be disrupted in the coming years. Data center growth alone could account for 30–40% of all net-new electricity demand through 2030.

Unlike typical power loads, data center demand is constant, dense, and growing exponentially. Facilities often operate 24/7, with little downtime and minimal flexibility to reduce usage.

Learn More on the Voronoi App 

If you enjoyed this infographic, see how Venture Capital Investment in Generative AI has grown, on the Voronoi app.

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Electrification

Visualizing China’s Battery Recycling Dominance

In 2025, China will hold 78% of pre-treatment and 89% of refining capacity.

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Sankey chart showing China's dominant position in both the pre-treatment and refining stages of battery recycling.

Visualizing China’s Battery Recycling Dominance

Battery recycling is expected to become a cornerstone of the global energy transition as electric vehicles (EVs) and other battery-powered technologies become more widespread.

According to exclusive data from Benchmark Mineral Intelligence, China holds a dominant position in both the pre-treatment and refining stages of battery recycling.

Chinese Growing Dominance

Battery recycling involves two major stages. First is pre-treatment, where recycling begins. Scrap batteries are typically shredded and separated to produce a material known as black mass.

The next stage is refining, which processes black mass into valuable lithium-, nickel-, and cobalt-based chemicals for use in battery cathodes.

China’s scale, infrastructure, and early investments in battery supply chains have translated into an outsized advantage in recycling capacity.

As the largest producer and user of lithium ion batteries, the country is expected to process 3.6 million tonnes of scrap batteries in 2025, up from 1.2 million tonnes in 2022. This would account for 78% of global pre-treatment capacity, with total global capacity projected to exceed 4.6 million tonnes.

Region/Tonnes2022202320242025P
Global1.5M2.4M2.8M4.6M
China1.2M1.8M2.1M3.6M
Asia excl. China158K231K288K361K
Europe118K133K243K416K
North America59K165K129K196K
ROW4K6K6K40K

In second place is the rest of Asia, with 361,000 tonnes, followed by Europe with 416,000 tonnes. While the U.S. attempts to reduce its reliance on China in the mineral sector, North America accounts for just 196,000 tonnes.

The refining stage is even more concentrated.

China’s black mass refining capacity is projected to nearly triple, from 895,000 tonnes in 2022 to 2.5 million tonnes by 2025—representing 89% of global capacity.

Region/Tonnes2022202320242025P
Global960K1.4M1.7M2.8M
China895K1.3M1.5M2.5M
Asia excl. China48K101K146K225K
Europe13K23K25K28K
North America4K5K5K21K
ROW01K1K32K

Refining is critical, as it converts recycled material into high-purity, battery-grade chemicals. The rest of Asia is expected to refine 225,000 tonnes, Europe 28,000 tonnes, and North America only 21,000 tonnes. Between 2022 and 2025, China’s refining capacity is projected to grow by 179%, while North America’s is expected to surge by 425%—albeit from a much smaller base.

As global demand for EVs and battery storage rises, countries looking to build domestic recycling infrastructure must accelerate investment to reduce dependence on Chinese supply chains.

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