Emerging economies drive global wind and solar growth

G7 nations hold just 11% of global prospective capacity.

The global pipeline for wind and utility-scale solar projects reached a record 4.9 terawatts (TW) in 2025, but growth is shifting away from wealthy nations, according to Global Energy Monitor (GEM).

The report said that announced, pre-construction, and in-construction wind and solar capacity grew 11% year-over-year, rising from 4.4 TW to more than 4.9 TW. However, the growth is increasingly concentrated in emerging markets.

China is leading the charge, hosting 448 gigawatts (GW) of wind and utility-scale solar projects under construction—half of the global total. Its combined operating wind and solar capacity surpassed 1.6 TW in 2025, more than triple that of its closest competitors, the United States and India.

Meanwhile, Brazil leads with 401 GW, followed by India with 234 GW and the Philippines with 146 GW, placing them amongst the top seven countries for prospective wind and solar capacity.

In contrast, the G7 nations account for just 11% of the world’s prospective wind and utility-scale solar capacity, despite holding roughly half of global wealth. Their combined pipeline has remained largely unchanged at about 520 GW since 2023, highlighting a widening gap between climate ambition and implementation in advanced economies.

GEM’s Global Solar Power Tracker also reports nearly 900 GW of operating distributed solar capacity, which plays a critical role in the clean energy transition.

Around 42% of existing and planned solar capacity is distributed, according to the International Energy Agency, highlighting its crucial role in achieving the global goal to triple renewable energy capacity by 2030 set at the UN COP28 climate conference.

China, India, and Brazil are amongst the top ten countries with distributed solar capacity in operation.