The multinational energy company TotalEnergies was the largest developer of utility-scales solar photovoltaic plants as of June 2023, with roughly 12 gigawatts of operational capacity across the world as of that time. Enel followed with a total of 9,158 megawatts of solar power installed worldwide.

The multinational energy company TotalEnergies was the solar developer with the largest prospective capacity as of June 2023, with more than 29 gigawatts of solar PV contracted or under construction as of that time. TotalEnergies also had the largest operational solar capacity worldwide.

Data are taken from the Microgeneration Certification Scheme - MCS Installation Database.

For enquiries concerning this table email fitstatistics@energysecurity.gov.uk.

Increase the amount of solar energy generated by increasing the number of solar panels.

Between 2010 and 2024, the average installed cost of photovoltaics worldwide declined steadily due to the widespread availability of materials, which reduced production expenses. In 2024, the average installed cost of solar PV systems stood at 691 U.S. dollars per kilowatt. Likewise, the levelized cost of electricity (LCOE) for solar photovoltaics has seen a similar trend over the past decade. Solar photovoltaic technology Solar cells, also known as photovoltaic (PV) cells, can absorb sunlight and convert it into electrical energy. They are made of different semiconductor materials with specific characteristics. Silicon as the primary semiconductor has a maximum theoretical efficiency of around 32 percent; this has prompted researching new materials and designs to enhance PV performance. Currently, China is by far the leading producer of solar PV modules across the globe. Solar PV energy worldwide In 2024, solar PV accounted for 6.9 percent of the global electricity generation, with renewables being dominated by hydropower. Despite fossil fuels remaining the largest contributor to electricity generation, representing some 60 percent of the global share, renewable sources are projected to grow in the following years, accounting for more than half of the world’s power generation by 2050.

The National Renewable Energy Laboratory's (NREL) Photovoltaic (PV) Rooftop Database (PVRDB) is a lidar-derived, geospatially-resolved dataset of suitable roof surfaces and their PV technical potential for 128 metropolitan regions in the United States. The PVRDB data are organized by city and year of lidar collection. Five geospatial layers are available for each city and year: 1) the raster extent of the lidar collection, 2) buildings identified from the lidar data, 3) suitable developable planes for each building, 4) aspect values of the developable planes, and 5) the technical potential estimates of the developable planes.

Earth-observing remote sensing data, including aerial photography and satellite imagery, offer a snapshot of the world from which we can learn about the state of our environment, anthropogenic systems, and natural resources. The components of energy systems that are visible from above may be assessed with these remote sensing data when combined with machine learning methods. Here we focus on the information gap in distributed solar photovoltaic (PV) arrays, of which there is limited data on solar PV deployments at small geographic scales. We created a machine learning dataset to develop the process of automatically identifying solar PV locations through the use of remote sensing imagery.This dataset contains the geospatial coordinates and border vertices for 19,433 solar panels across 601 high resolution images from four cities in California. Dataset applications include training object detection and other machine learning algorithms that use remote sensing imagery, developing specific algorithms for predictive detection of distributed PV systems, and analysis of the socioeconomic correlates of PV deployment.Links to the aerial photographs from Fresno, Stockton, Oxnard, and Modesto can be found in the references.Notes: this version of the dataset has been improved to increase the accuracy of polygon georeferencing so that the data can be more easily integrated with imagery other than than the original imagery from which the annotations were based. Additionally, a small number of polygons were found to be erroneous annotations and either corrected or removed.Update July 30, 2020: Panel area in pixels and area in square meters were labeled incorrectly in the original version; those labels were reversed. Updated files include: 'polygonDataExceptVertices.csv', 'SolarArrayPolygons.geojson', 'SolarArrayPolygons.json'.

Asia was by far the region with the largest production of solar energy worldwide in 2024. In that year, Asia's electricity production from solar reached almost 1,200 terawatt hours. Europe and North America followed with some 364.89 and 312.59 terawatt hours, respectively.

In this dataset the anther's analysis is based on data from NREL about Solar & Wind energy generation by operation areas.

NASA Prediction of Worldwide Energy Resources

Solar

Monthly averages for global horizontal radiation over 22-year period (Jul 1983

• Jun 2013)

Wind

Monthly average wind speed at 50m above the surface of earth over a 30-year period (Jan 1984 - Dec 2013)Year: Averaged Over 10 to 15 years

COA = central operating area.

EOA = eastern operating area.

SOA = southern operating area.

WOA = western operating area. Source: NRELSource Link

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Solar Panels Market Size 2025-2029

The solar panels market size is forecast to increase by USD 60.1 billion, at a CAGR of 8.2% between 2024 and 2029.

The market is witnessing significant growth, driven by increasing investments in the renewable energy sector. This trend is fueled by governments and businesses worldwide seeking to reduce carbon emissions and promote sustainable energy solutions. Another key driver is the continuous advancements in thin-film solar photovoltaic (PV) modules, making solar energy more cost-effective and accessible. However, the intermittent nature of solar power poses a significant challenge. Solar energy production depends on sunlight availability, which can be unpredictable. This variability necessitates efficient energy storage solutions and smart grid management systems to ensure a consistent energy supply. Companies in the market must focus on developing innovative technologies to address this challenge and capitalize on the growing demand for renewable energy. By investing in research and development, collaborating with energy storage providers, and optimizing solar panel designs, companies can effectively navigate this market landscape and seize opportunities for growth.

What will be the Size of the Solar Panels Market during the forecast period?

Explore in-depth regional segment analysis with market size data - historical 2019-2023 and forecasts 2025-2029 - in the full report.
Request Free SampleThe market continues to evolve, driven by technological advancements and expanding applications across various sectors. Off-grid systems, once a niche application, are increasingly gaining traction as an alternative power solution. Thin-film solar panels, with their flexibility and lower manufacturing costs, are finding new uses in solar powered appliances and buildings. Silicon wafer technology, a mainstay in solar panel manufacturing, faces competition from emerging alternatives. Solar powered refrigeration systems are revolutionizing cold storage solutions, while solar tracking systems optimize panel efficiency. Commercial solar adoption is on the rise, with businesses recognizing the cost savings and sustainability benefits. Solar panel warranty and performance degradation are key considerations for investors and consumers alike. Solar panel manufacturing processes are continuously improving, with a focus on reducing costs and increasing efficiency. Solar energy storage and solar energy policy are crucial components of the renewable energy landscape. Industrial solar applications are expanding, from powering factories to providing clean energy for heavy industry. Solar panel maintenance and cleaning are essential for maximizing system performance and longevity. Battery energy storage and net metering are transforming the way we store and distribute solar energy. Solar farm development and ground-mounted solar installations are shaping the future of utility-scale solar. Solar powered electronics, from calculators to smartphones, are becoming increasingly common. Solar powered homes and solar powered buildings are the future of sustainable living. The market is a dynamic and evolving landscape, with endless possibilities.

How is this Solar Panels Industry segmented?

The solar panels industry research report provides comprehensive data (region-wise segment analysis), with forecasts and estimates in 'USD billion' for the period 2025-2029, as well as historical data from 2019-2023 for the following segments. End-userPower utilitiesCommercialResidentialTypeCrystalline panelThin-film panelConnectivityOn-gridOff-gridTechnologySolar PVConcentrated solar power (CSP)GeographyNorth AmericaUSCanadaEuropeFranceGermanyItalyUKAPACChinaIndiaJapanSouth KoreaRest of World (ROW).

By End-user Insights

The power utilities segment is estimated to witness significant growth during the forecast period.The solar panel market experienced significant growth in 2024, with the power utility segment leading the way. Utility-scale solar power plants continued to expand, contributing to the reduction of carbon emissions and the generation of clean energy. According to the International Energy Agency (IEA), renewable capacity additions reached record levels in 2024, with solar photovoltaics (PV) accounting for around 80% of the growth in renewable electricity capacity. China, the US, Germany, Japan, and India were among the major contributors to the utility segment. For instance, China installed 277 GW of solar capacity in 2024, as reported by the National Energy Administration (NEA). Residential solar installations also gained traction, with homeowners seeking to save on energy costs and reduce their carbon footprint. Solar panel financing options, such as leasing and power purchase agreements, made solar adoption more accessible. Solar panel costs continued to decline, making solar energy a cost-effective solution for both residential and commercial

This dataset includes information on completed and pipeline (not yet installed) solar electric projects supported by the New York State Energy Research and Development Authority (NYSERDA). Blank cells represent data that were not required or are not currently available. Contractor data is provided for completed projects only, except for Community Distributed Generation projects. Pipeline projects are subject to change. The interactive map at https://data.ny.gov/Energy-Environment/Solar-Electric-Programs-Reported-by-NYSERDA-Beginn/3x8r-34rs provides information on solar photovoltaic (PV) installations supported by NYSERDA throughout New York State since 2000 by county, region, or statewide. Updated monthly, the graphs show the number of projects, expected production, total capacity, and annual trends.

The New York State Energy Research and Development Authority (NYSERDA) offers objective information and analysis, innovative programs, technical expertise, and support to help New Yorkers increase energy efficiency, save money, use renewable energy, and reduce reliance on fossil fuels. To learn more about NYSERDA’s programs, visit https://nyserda.ny.gov or follow us on X, Facebook, YouTube, or Instagram.

This dataset contains over two years of 1-minute resolution data collected from four floating solar sites, as well as data from a land-based PV system co-located with one of the floating sites. The dataset includes highly granular module temperature measurements - five modules per floating site, with three sensors per module, totaling 15 module temperature sensors per floating site. In addition to the module temperature data, meteorological data collected at the floating sites is also included, along with traditional PV system-level parameters. The data is intended for analysis of solar energy production, efficiency, and performance degradation over time. For information about the data file usage see the "README" resource below. See "Metadata File" for information about individual files and other metadata information.

This dataset contains voltage, current, power, energy, and weather data from low-voltage substations and domestic premises with high uptake of solar photovoltaic (PV) embedded generation. Data collected as part of the project run by UK Power Networks. Validation of Photovoltaic Connection Assessment Tool https://www.ofgem.gov.uk/ofgem-publications/93938/pvtoolcdrfinal-pdf The project collected a rich dataset at domestic sites with Solar Panels. The data set comprises of 25,775 days-worth of data, and over 171 million individual measurements. Key stats about the dataset: 20 substations and 10 domestic premises Collected over 480 days - 27 July 2013 to 19 November 2014 10 minute intervals over all time recorded, 1 minute intervals in summer 2014 10-minute measurements prior to 10 June 2014, aggregated to hourly minima and maxima Several important findings are presented in the final project report (link above). For any further queries please email innovation@ukpowernetworks.co.uk

This dataset contains voltage, current, power, energy, and weather data from low-voltage substations and domestic premises with high uptake of solar photovoltaic (PV) embedded generation.

Data collected as part of the project run by UK Power Networks.

The project collected a rich dataset at domestic sites with Solar Panels. The data set comprises of 25,775 days-worth of data, and over 171 million individual measurements.

Key stats about the dataset:

• 20 substations and 10 domestic premises • Collected over 480 days - 27 July 2013 to 19 November 2014 • 10 minute intervals over all time recorded, 1 minute intervals in summer 2014 • 10-minute measurements prior to 10 June 2014, aggregated to hourly minima and maxima

https://data.london.gov.uk/dataset/photovoltaic--pv--solar-panel-energy-generation-data

The on-site photovoltaic (PV) solar power market for data centers is experiencing robust growth, driven by the increasing need for sustainable and cost-effective energy solutions within the rapidly expanding data center industry. The rising electricity costs and environmental concerns associated with traditional power sources are compelling data center operators to adopt renewable energy solutions. The market's expansion is further fueled by supportive government policies promoting renewable energy adoption, technological advancements leading to increased efficiency and reduced costs of solar PV systems, and the growing awareness of corporate social responsibility among data center companies. While initial investment costs can be significant, the long-term operational savings and environmental benefits make on-site solar power a financially and environmentally attractive proposition. We project a substantial market growth over the next decade, with significant regional variations influenced by factors like solar irradiance, government incentives, and the density of data center infrastructure. Key players in the market, including Trina Solar, JA Solar, SunPower, and others, are actively investing in research and development to improve solar panel efficiency and reduce costs, further stimulating market growth. Despite this positive outlook, challenges remain. Land availability for large-scale solar installations at data center locations can be a constraint, particularly in densely populated areas. Intermittency of solar power, requiring robust energy storage solutions or grid integration, is another factor that influences adoption rates. Furthermore, the complexities involved in integrating solar PV systems into existing data center infrastructure and securing necessary permits can slow down deployment. Nevertheless, ongoing technological advancements in energy storage, grid management, and financing options are expected to mitigate these challenges, driving continued market growth for on-site PV solar power in the data center sector. A careful analysis of these factors will be crucial for stakeholders in making informed investment and deployment decisions.

Between 2010 and 2024, the weighted average levelized cost of electricity (LCOE) for solar photovoltaics (PV) saw a continual annual decline, reaching 0.04 U.S. dollars per kilowatt-hour in the latter year. In comparison to a decade earlier, this represented a drop of approximately 0.4 U.S. dollars per kilowatt-hour.

Open PV Project is a collaborative effort between government, industry, and public that is compiling a comprehensive database of photovoltaic (PV) installation data for the U.S. Data for the project are voluntarily contributed from a variety of sources including utilities, installers, and general public.

Open PV provides a web-based resource for users to add their own PV installation data, browse PV data entered by others, and view statistics from the data that show current and recent trends of the PV market.

Data collected is maintained by contributors and are always changing to provide an evolving, up-to-date snapshot of the U.S. solar power market.

This table contains information about the Dutch production of renewable electricity, the number of installations used and the installed capacity of these installations. During production, a distinction is made between normalised gross production and non-standard gross and net production without normalisation.

Production of electricity is shown in million kilowatt hours and as a percentage of total electricity consumption in the Netherlands. The production of renewable electricity is compared with total electricity consumption and not against total electricity production. This choice is due to European conventions.

The data is broken down according to the type of energy source and the technique used to obtain the electricity. A distinction is made between four main categories: hydro power, wind energy, solar power and biomass.

Data available from: 1990.

Status of the figures: This table contains definite figures until 2022, revised provisional figures for 2023 and provisional figures for 2024.

Changes as of July 2025: Figures for the number of installations and capacity for solar electricity have been adjusted. Compiling figures on solar electricity took more time than scheduled. Consequently, not all StatLine tables on energy contain the most recent 2024 data on production for solar electricity. This table contains the most recent data for number of solar installations and solar capacity, but outdated 2024 data on solar production. The most recent figures are 5 percent higher for 2024 solar electricity production. These most recent figures are available in these two tables (in Dutch): - Zonnestroom; vermogen en vermogensklasse, bedrijven en woningen, regio - Hernieuwbare energie; zonnestroom, windenergie, RES-regio Next update of all StatLine tables covering solar production is scheduled in November 2025. From that moment all tables will be fully consistent again. We apologize for the inconvenience.

Changes as of June 6th 2025: Figures for 2024 have been updated.

Changes as of March 10th 2025: Figures added for 2024.

Changes as of January 2025: Figures on the capacities of municipal waste and biogas are added for 2022 and 2023.

Changes as of November 2024: Figures about capacity are now published.

Changes as of November 2024: Figures for 2021- 2023 have been adjusted. 2022 is now definitive, 2023 stays revised provisional.Because of new insights for windmills regarding own electricity use and capacity, figures on 2021 have been revised. The capacity of solar photovoltaic from 2022 onwards is equal tot the system capacity of the installation. This means the maximal capacity with respect to the panel or the inverter.

When will new figures be published? Provisional figures on electricity output for the previous year are published each year in February. Revised provisional figures on electricity output for the previous year are published each year in June. Definite figures on electricity output for the previous year are published each year in December.

Solar Footprints in CaliforniaThis GIS dataset consists of polygons that represent the footprints of solar powered electric generation facilities and related infrastructure in California called Solar Footprints. The location of solar footprints was identified using other existing solar footprint datasets from various sources along with imagery interpretation. CEC staff reviewed footprints identified with imagery and digitized polygons to match the visual extent of each facility. Previous datasets of existing solar footprints used to locate solar facilities include: GIS Layers: (1) California Solar Footprints, (2) UC Berkeley Solar Points, (3) Kruitwagen et al. 2021, (4) BLM Renewable Project Facilities, (5) Quarterly Fuel and Energy Report (QFER)Imagery Datasets: Esri World Imagery, USGS National Agriculture Imagery Program (NAIP), 2020 SENTINEL 2 Satellite Imagery, 2023Solar facilities with large footprints such as parking lot solar, large rooftop solar, and ground solar were included in the solar footprint dataset. Small scale solar (approximately less than 0.5 acre) and residential footprints were not included. No other data was used in the production of these shapes. Definitions for the solar facilities identified via imagery are subjective and described as follows: Rooftop Solar: Solar arrays located on rooftops of large buildings. Parking lot Solar: Solar panels on parking lots roughly larger than 1 acre, or clusters of solar panels in adjacent parking lots. Ground Solar: Solar panels located on ground roughly larger than 1 acre, or large clusters of smaller scale footprints. Once all footprints identified by the above criteria were digitized for all California counties, the features were visually classified into ground, parking and rooftop categories. The features were also classified into rural and urban types using the 42 U.S. Code § 1490 definition for rural. In addition, the distance to the closest substation and the percentile category of this distance (e.g. 0-25th percentile, 25th-50th percentile) was also calculated. The coverage provided by this data set should not be assumed to be a complete accounting of solar footprints in California. Rather, this dataset represents an attempt to improve upon existing solar feature datasets and to update the inventory of "large" solar footprints via imagery, especially in recent years since previous datasets were published. This procedure produced a total solar project footprint of 150,250 acres. Attempts to classify these footprints and isolate the large utility-scale projects from the smaller rooftop solar projects identified in the data set is difficult. The data was gathered based on imagery, and project information that could link multiple adjacent solar footprints under one larger project is not known. However, partitioning all solar footprints that are at least partly outside of the techno-economic exclusions and greater than 7 acres yields a total footprint size of 133,493 acres. These can be approximated as utility-scale footprints. Metadata: (1) CBI Solar FootprintsAbstract: Conservation Biology Institute (CBI) created this dataset of solar footprints in California after it was found that no such dataset was publicly available at the time (Dec 2015-Jan 2016). This dataset is used to help identify where current ground based, mostly utility scale, solar facilities are being constructed and will be used in a larger landscape intactness model to help guide future development of renewable energy projects. The process of digitizing these footprints first began by utilizing an excel file from the California Energy Commission with lat/long coordinates of some of the older and bigger locations. After projecting those points and locating the facilities utilizing NAIP 2014 imagery, the developed area around each facility was digitized. While interpreting imagery, there were some instances where a fenced perimeter was clearly seen and was slightly larger than the actual footprint. For those cases the footprint followed the fenced perimeter since it limits wildlife movement through the area. In other instances, it was clear that the top soil had been scraped of any vegetation, even outside of the primary facility footprint. These footprints included the areas that were scraped within the fencing since, especially in desert systems, it has been near permanently altered. Other sources that guided the search for solar facilities included the Energy Justice Map, developed by the Energy Justice Network which can be found here:https://www.energyjustice.net/map/searchobject.php?gsMapsize=large&giCurrentpageiFacilityid;=1&gsTable;=facility&gsSearchtype;=advancedThe Solar Energy Industries Association’s “Project Location Map” which can be found here: https://www.seia.org/map/majorprojectsmap.phpalso assisted in locating newer facilities along with the "Power Plants" shapefile, updated in December 16th, 2015, downloaded from the U.S. Energy Information Administration located here:https://www.eia.gov/maps/layer_info-m.cfmThere were some facilities that were stumbled upon while searching for others, most of these are smaller scale sites located near farm infrastructure. Other sites were located by contacting counties that had solar developments within the county. Still, others were located by sleuthing around for proposals and company websites that had images of the completed facility. These helped to locate the most recently developed sites and these sites were digitized based on landmarks such as ditches, trees, roads and other permanent structures.Metadata: (2) UC Berkeley Solar PointsUC Berkeley report containing point location for energy facilities across the United States.2022_utility-scale_solar_data_update.xlsm (live.com)Metadata: (3) Kruitwagen et al. 2021Abstract: Photovoltaic (PV) solar energy generating capacity has grown by 41 per cent per year since 2009. Energy system projections that mitigate climate change and aid universal energy access show a nearly ten-fold increase in PV solar energy generating capacity by 2040. Geospatial data describing the energy system are required to manage generation intermittency, mitigate climate change risks, and identify trade-offs with biodiversity, conservation and land protection priorities caused by the land-use and land-cover change necessary for PV deployment. Currently available inventories of solar generating capacity cannot fully address these needs. Here we provide a global inventory of commercial-, industrial- and utility-scale PV installations (that is, PV generating stations in excess of 10 kilowatts nameplate capacity) by using a longitudinal corpus of remote sensing imagery, machine learning and a large cloud computation infrastructure. We locate and verify 68,661 facilities, an increase of 432 per cent (in number of facilities) on previously available asset-level data. With the help of a hand-labelled test set, we estimate global installed generating capacity to be 423 gigawatts (−75/+77 gigawatts) at the end of 2018. Enrichment of our dataset with estimates of facility installation date, historic land-cover classification and proximity to vulnerable areas allows us to show that most of the PV solar energy facilities are sited on cropland, followed by arid lands and grassland. Our inventory could aid PV delivery aligned with the Sustainable Development GoalsEnergy Resource Land Use Planning - Kruitwagen_etal_Nature.pdf - All Documents (sharepoint.com)Metadata: (4) BLM Renewable ProjectTo identify renewable energy approved and pending lease areas on BLM administered lands. To provide information about solar and wind energy applications and completed projects within the State of California for analysis and display internally and externally. This feature class denotes "verified" renewable energy projects at the California State BLM Office, displayed in GIS. The term "Verified" refers to the GIS data being constructed at the California State Office, using the actual application/maps with legal descriptions obtained from the renewable energy company. https://www.blm.gov/wo/st/en/prog/energy/renewable_energy https://www.blm.gov/style/medialib/blm/wo/MINERALS_REALTY_AND_RESOURCE_PROTECTION_/energy/solar_and_wind.Par.70101.File.dat/Public%20Webinar%20Dec%203%202014%20-%20Solar%20and%20Wind%20Regulations.pdfBLM CA Renewable Energy Projects | BLM GBP Hub (arcgis.com)Metadata: (5) Quarterly Fuel and Energy Report (QFER) California Power Plants - Overview (arcgis.com)