Solar BRICS: Emerging economies now lead the world's clean energy race

BRICS nations now generate over half of the world's solar power, driven primarily by China, India, and Brazil. In 2024, these countries accounted for 51% of global solar electricity generation, with China alone contributing 39%. Solar power met 37% of the total increase in electricity generation across BRICS members in 2024, contributing to a total clean energy share of 70% for new generation growth. While China, India, and Brazil show strong continued growth in 2025, other members like Russia, Indonesia, and Egypt lag in solar deployment or remain dependent on fossil fuels.

• In 2024, the ten BRICS members collectively produced 51% of the world's solar electricity, a significant increase from 15% in 2014. China was the primary driver, accounting for 39% of global solar generation in 2024, followed by India at 6.3% and Brazil at 3.5%.
• Three BRICS nations are among the top five global solar power generators. In 2024, China led with 834 TWh, nearly three times the 303 TWh generated by the United States. India ranked third with 133 TWh, and Brazil entered the top five with 75 TWh, surpassing Germany's 71 TWh.
• Solar power and other clean sources are increasingly meeting new electricity demand in BRICS countries. In 2024, solar met 37% of the increase in electricity generation across all members, while all clean sources combined met 70% of the increase. In China specifically, clean sources met 82% of the generation increase in 2024.
• Solar growth continued strongly in early 2025 for China, India, and Brazil, with generation rising by 39% across the original five BRICS members between January and April 2025 compared to 2024. In China, solar generation increased by 120 TWh in the first five months of 2025, meeting 86% of the 139 TWh increase in demand and contributing to a 2.6% decrease in fossil generation.
• Solar deployment varies significantly among BRICS members. While China, India, and Brazil lead, Russia's solar generation remained below 0.5 TWh in the first four months of 2025. In Indonesia, 76% of the electricity generation increase between 2014 and 2023 was met by fossil sources, and Egypt continues to rely on gas for new demand.

APA

Fulghum, N., Bruce-Lockhart, C., & Orso, L. (2025). Solar BRICS: Emerging economies now lead the world's clean energy race. Ember. https://ember-energy.org/app/uploads/2025/06/BRICS-now-account-for-more-than-half-of-global-solar-power.pdf

Chicago

Fulghum, Nicolas, Chelsea Bruce-Lockhart, and Lauren Orso. Solar BRICS: Emerging economies now lead the world's clean energy race. Ember, 2025. https://ember-energy.org/app/uploads/2025/06/BRICS-now-account-for-more-than-half-of-global-solar-power.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |last1=Fulghum |first1=Nicolas |last2=Bruce-Lockhart |first2=Chelsea |last3=Orso |first3=Lauren |title=Solar BRICS: Emerging economies now lead the world's clean energy race |publisher=Ember |date=3 July 2025 |url=https://ember-energy.org/app/uploads/2025/06/BRICS-now-account-for-more-than-half-of-global-solar-power.pdf |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{fulghum2025solar, author = {Fulghum, Nicolas and Bruce-Lockhart, Chelsea and Orso, Lauren}, title = {{Solar BRICS: Emerging economies now lead the world's clean energy race}}, institution = {Ember}, year = {2025}, month = jul, url = {https://ember-energy.org/app/uploads/2025/06/BRICS-now-account-for-more-than-half-of-global-solar-power.pdf}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }