Global wind and solar 2025: The G7 gap

The global pipeline for wind and utility-scale solar reached 4.9 TW in 2025, an 11% increase, though growth has slowed compared to 2024. China dominates the landscape, with over 1.6 TW of operating capacity and 1.5 TW in its prospective pipeline. In contrast, G7 countries account for only 11% of prospective capacity additions, with their pipeline remaining largely stagnant at approximately 520 GW since 2023. Distributed solar represents about 42% of global solar capacity but remains highly concentrated in a few countries, with China leading at 489 GW. The report concludes that current pipelines are insufficient to meet the COP28 goal of tripling renewable energy by 2030, with a projected deficit of 1 TW for wind and 1.6 TW for utility-scale solar.

• The global pipeline for wind and utility-scale solar projects grew by 11% in 2025, increasing from 4.4 terawatts (TW) to 4.9 TW. However, this growth rate is a slowdown from the 22% growth seen in 2024, with wind projects experiencing a 13% drop and solar projects a 7% drop in year-on-year growth.
• There is a significant disparity between the G7 and emerging economies; G7 nations represent only 11% of the world's prospective wind and utility-scale solar capacity additions, and their pipeline has remained mostly unchanged at around 520 GW since 2023.
• China is the global leader in both operating and prospective capacity. By December 2025, China's combined operating wind and solar capacity surpassed 1.6 TW, and its prospective pipeline grew from 1.2 TW to 1.5 TW in 2025.
• Current global pipelines are insufficient to meet the COP28 target of tripling renewable energy by 2030. Even if all projects with a planned start by 2030 are completed, there would be a shortfall of 1 TW of wind and 1.6 TW of utility-scale solar.
• Distributed solar (projects <1 MW) accounts for approximately 42% of all existing and prospective solar capacity worldwide. This capacity is highly concentrated, with the top ten countries representing 90% of the reported total, led by China with 489 GW.

APA

Kocakuşak, D., & Zhang, M. (2026). Global wind and solar 2025: The G7 gap. Global Energy Monitor. https://globalenergymonitor.org/sites/default/files/migration/reports/GEM-Global-Wind-and-Solar-2025-Outlook_3.pdf

Chicago

Kocakuşak, Diren, and Mengqi Zhang. Global wind and solar 2025: The G7 gap. Global Energy Monitor, 2026. https://globalenergymonitor.org/sites/default/files/migration/reports/GEM-Global-Wind-and-Solar-2025-Outlook_3.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |last1=Kocakuşak |first1=Diren |last2=Zhang |first2=Mengqi |title=Global wind and solar 2025: The G7 gap |publisher=Global Energy Monitor |date=February 2026 |url=https://globalenergymonitor.org/sites/default/files/migration/reports/GEM-Global-Wind-and-Solar-2025-Outlook_3.pdf |access-date=23 October 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{kocakuak2026global, author = {Kocakuşak, Diren and Zhang, Mengqi}, title = {{Global wind and solar 2025: The G7 gap}}, institution = {Global Energy Monitor}, year = {2026}, month = feb, url = {https://globalenergymonitor.org/sites/default/files/migration/reports/GEM-Global-Wind-and-Solar-2025-Outlook_3.pdf}, urldate = {2026-10-23}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }