In 2025, solar power had a huge year. The International Energy Agency says solar was the biggest single source of growth in global energy demand. It supplied more than 25% of the extra energy the world used in 2025. Solar electricity also rose by 600 terawatt-hours from the year before. That was the biggest one-year increase ever seen from any power source, except in unusual recovery years after a crisis. Solar alone covered about 70% of the world’s electricity growth in 2025. (iea.org)
The building speed was just as striking. The IEA says the world added a record 800 gigawatts of renewable power capacity in 2025, and more than three-quarters of that was solar. On another IEA page, the agency says solar capacity additions passed 600 gigawatts for the first time. It also says 30 countries added more than 1 gigawatt of solar in a single year. (iea.org)
China was the biggest driver. According to the IEA, China added nearly 370 gigawatts of solar capacity in 2025. The European Union installed almost 70 gigawatts, and India added almost 50 gigawatts. These numbers show that solar growth was not only a story in one place. It was happening across many parts of the world. (iea.org)
IRENA, another international energy organization, also reported a record year. It says the world added 692 gigawatts of renewable power in 2025, and solar alone added a record 510 gigawatts. By the end of the year, renewables made up 49% of global installed power capacity. (irena.org)
This matters because the energy system is changing fast. The IEA says renewables and nuclear together increased more than total electricity demand growth in 2025, and global energy-related CO2 emissions rose by only about 0.4%. This suggests that sunlight is becoming one of the world’s strongest new energy sources. For learners of English, it is also a good reminder: sometimes a quiet thing we see every day, like sunlight, can change the world in a very big way. (iea.org)










