The global pipeline of wind and utility-scale solar projects expanded to a record 4.9 terawatts (TW) in 2025, yet the world’s wealthiest economies are no longer driving the clean energy buildout, according to new analysis from Global Energy Monitor (GEM).
Announced, pre-construction and in construction wind and utility-scale solar capacity grew 11% year-over-year, rising from 4.4 TW to more than 4.9 TW. But while overall momentum continues, growth is increasingly concentrated in emerging economies.
China alone hosts 448 GW of wind and utility-scale solar projects currently under construction — half the global total — and its combined operating wind and solar capacity surpassed 1.6 TW in 2025, triple the combined capacity of its closest peers, the United States and India.
Brazil (401 GW), India (234 GW) and the Philippines (146 GW) are also among the top seven countries with prospective wind and utility-scale solar capacity.
Meanwhile G7 countries account for only 11% of the world’s prospective wind and utility-scale solar capacity, despite controlling roughly half of global wealth. Their combined pipeline has remained largely unchanged at about 520 gigawatts (GW) since 2023, highlighting a widening gap between climate ambition and implementation in advanced economies.
In addition, GEM’s Global Solar Power Tracker now reports nearly 900 GW of operating distributed solar capacity, which plays a significant role in the clean energy transition. The International Energy Agency estimates that approximately 42% of existing and prospective solar capacity is distributed, underlining its integral role to meet the global pledge to triple renewables capacity by 2030 agreed at the UN COP28 climate conference. China, India and Brazil are among the top ten countries with distributed solar capacity in operation.
Diren Kocakuşak, Research Analyst for Global Energy Monitor, said, “Wind and solar are scaling at breakneck speed, and much of that momentum is coming from countries once seen as energy followers. The question now is whether wealthier countries will close the gap between ambition and execution, or cede leadership in this booming growth sector.”
Contact
Diren Kocakuşak, Research Analyst, Global Energy Monitor
Email: [email protected]
About the Global Solar and Wind Trackers
The Global Solar Power Tracker is a worldwide dataset of utility-scale solar photovoltaic (PV) and solar thermal facilities. It covers all operating solar farm phases with capacities of one megawatt (MW) or more and all announced, pre-construction, construction, and shelved projects with capacities greater than 20 MW. Distributed (<1 MW) solar data, aggregated at the national level, has been included for select countries/areas. The Global Wind Power Tracker is a worldwide dataset of utility-scale, on- and offshore wind facilities. It includes wind farm phases with capacities of 10 MW or more.
