So, you know how we’ve been hearing about solar power becoming a bigger deal? Well, it’s officially a huge deal now – the world has surpassed 3 terawatts of installed solar capacity, which is a major milestone. What’s even crazier is how fast we got here – it took almost 68 years to reach the first terawatt, but the second and third terawatts were reached in just two years and 19 months, respectively. This is a big shift in how solar power is being used around the world, with a record 664 gigawatts of new solar capacity installed in 2025.
The big driver of this growth is China, which has become the dominant force in solar power. They’re installing massive amounts of solar capacity and exporting cheap panels to the rest of the world. But it’s not just China – developing countries like Pakistan, Nigeria, and the Philippines are also seeing huge growth in rooftop solar installations. This is because people are looking for ways to offset high fossil fuel prices, and solar is becoming a more affordable option. As a result, the number of countries with at least 1 gigawatt of installed solar capacity has grown to 74, up from 42 in 2020.
All this growth is adding up to some big numbers – solar now supplies about 9% of the world’s electricity, up from 3% in 2020. And in April 2026, wind and solar together generated 22% of global electricity, surpassing natural gas. Of course, there are still challenges to overcome, like building out the infrastructure to support all this new solar power. But the future is looking bright – or should I say, sunny? – with forecasts predicting that the world will deploy over 9 terawatts of solar by 2036.