According to statistics from Wiki-Solar, a solar project tracking website, global cumulative installed capacity of utility-scale PV has reached nearly 800GW (AC) / 1,000GW (DC), with an additional 182.7GW (AC) added in 2024. The cumulative installed capacity of utility-scale PV in 33 major markets worldwide has reached 756GW (AC), accounting for 93% of the global total.
Wiki-Solar’s statistics cover PV power stations with a capacity of 4MW (AC) and above, and note that the 2024 new installation figures are still preliminary estimates pending Q4 data updates from markets such as China.
The Asian market remains in the lead, mainly driven by China and India. In 2024, China added 80.7GW (AC) of new utility-scale PV installed capacity (according to the National Energy Administration, China’s annual new centralized PV installations in 2024 amounted to approximately 159GW), bringing its cumulative installed capacity to 320.1GW (DC), continuing to lead the world. The United States ranks second with 39GW (AC) of new installations and a total installed capacity of 132.9GW (AC). India ranks third with 24.3GW (AC) of new installations and a total installed capacity of 83.1GW (AC).
After a downturn from 2018 to 2022, the European market accelerated its installation pace in 2024. Spain and Germany added 5.5GW (AC) and 4.5GW (AC) of new utility-scale PV installed capacity, respectively, becoming the main drivers of growth in the region.
Wiki-Solar points out that South American utility-scale PV installations are growing steadily, with countries such as Chile and Brazil continuing to make progress. Brazil, in particular, has become the largest market for such installations in South America due to its rapid expansion in 2023 and 2024.
In addition, Saudi Arabia, Poland, and Portugal also made significant progress in 2024, with cumulative installed capacities in this field reaching 3.9GW (AC), 2.5GW (AC), and 3.7GW (AC), respectively.
Philip Wolfe, the founder of Wiki-Solar, predicts that global cumulative installed capacity of utility-scale PV will exceed 1TW (AC) by 2025.
