61 Solar Charging Statistics

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These solar charging figures cover the measurement periods and populations identified in the available source material. Estimates, surveys and forecasts retain their reported scope.

Key Solar Charging Statistics

The main findings are:

  • 456 GW of photovoltaic capacity was installed worldwide in 2023.
  • Annual global renewable capacity additions are forecast to rise from 666 GW in 2024 to almost 935 GW in 2030 (2024–2030).
  • U.S. utility-scale facilities generated 4,178 billion kWh in 2023.
  • Global weighted-average utility-scale solar PV installed cost fell from $5,310/kW in 2010 to $758/kW in 2023 (2010 and 2023; Global utility-scale solar PV).
  • 685 million people were living in energy poverty in the 2024 off-grid solar assessment (2023/2024 assessment).
  • Global energy storage capacity must increase sixfold to 1,500 GW by 2030 to support rapid solar and wind deployment in the IEA NZE scenario.
  • The DOE Solar Futures core scenario grows solar from 3% of U.S. electricity supply today to 40% in 2035.
  • China installed 277 GW of solar PV in 2023.
  • Solar PV and wind are forecast to represent 95% of renewable capacity additions through 2030.
  • U.S. small-scale PV generated an estimated 73.62 billion kWh in 2023.
  • The global weighted-average utility-scale solar PV installed-cost change from 2010 to 2023 was –86% (2010–2023; Global utility-scale solar PV).
  • 660 million people are projected to remain without electricity by 2030 under the current trajectory.
  • Batteries account for 90% of the storage increase in the IEA NZE scenario (To 2030).
  • The same scenario reaches 45% of U.S. electricity supply from solar in 2050.
  • Countries outside China installed 179 GW of solar PV in 2023 (Rest of world).

Contents

Global solar charging statistics: installed capacity, generation and emissions

PV capacity additions, not electricity actually delivered to loads.

Annual additions reported by IEA PVPS.

The report presents this as the rest-of-world addition; it is not a single-country observation.

Rounded lower-bound wording from the report.

Report-wide estimate tied to operational PV fleet.

Share is based on the report’s estimated PV generation and global demand denominator.

Conditional estimate assuming PV replaces baseload generation.

Conditional baseload-replacement comparison, not a direct emissions-meter reading.

Solar PV charging growth by country and region

IEA main-case forecast, not observed deployment.

IEA main-case forecast.

Comparison uses IEA main-case deployment totals.

Solar PV expansion share in IEA main case; not solar’s share of all electricity.

Includes all renewables, not PV alone.

IEA main-case forecast and all-renewables metric.

U.S. solar charging statistics: generation, capacity and energy share

Utility-scale means plants with at least 1 MW capacity.

Small-scale means under 1 MW and not at a plant with combined capacity of at least 1 MW.

Includes photovoltaic and solar thermal.

Preliminary EIA data for 2023.

Denominator excludes estimated small-scale generation.

EIA utility-scale denominator.

Comparable EIA utility-scale generation figure, included as context for solar’s measured electricity share.

EIA primary-energy production measure, not only utility-scale electricity generation.

Primary-energy production context, not an electricity-generation share.

Solar charging costs, capacity factors and technology economics

IRENA global weighted averages for commissioned projects.

IRENA reported change; no recalculation.

Capacity factor is average output relative to nameplate capacity.

IRENA reported percentage change.

LCOE is a modeled cost metric, not a retail electricity tariff.

Cross-technology LCOE comparison; does not measure charging costs or retail prices.

Cross-technology capacity-factor comparison.

Off-grid solar charging access, sales and affordability

World Bank/ESMAP/GOGLA assessment definition of energy poverty applies.

Current-trajectory projection, not a policy-target scenario.

Sector assessment conclusion, not a randomized cost comparison.

Report estimate of addressable population.

Connection metric for the region and period; not a global share.

Beneficiary estimate includes off-grid solar solutions, not only charging products.

Aggregate sales across product categories; not unique customers or systems still operating.

Reported sector turnover.

Tier 1 kit and PAYG affordability definition; household affordability estimate.

Comparison concerns PAYG offering prices, not necessarily end-user monthly bills.

Solar charging with batteries: storage scale and cost outlook

IEA Net Zero Emissions scenario requirement, not a current observed stock.

Scenario-specific share of capacity growth.

Scenario forecast includes utility-scale and behind-the-meter batteries.

Upper-bound modeled reduction under the Stated Policies Scenario.

Core Decarb+E scenario, not a forecast of current policy alone.

Core Decarb+E scenario.

Alternating-current capacity in the core scenario.

Modeled sector-energy share through electrification, not direct solar end-use measurement.

Modeled sector-energy share through electrification.

Requirement in the Decarb+E scenario.

Scenario requirement, not realized annual installations.

DOE/NREL baseline in the study; AC basis.

Employment range is scenario-dependent.

Compared with the study’s reference scenario; modeled system cost.

Modeled benefits in the decarbonization scenario, not realized savings.

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