Solar Panel Statistics 2023: Everything You Need To Know

✔ The global solar capacity was just over 1 terawatt (TW) in 2022

✔ The UK's solar capacity is now 15 GW

✔ Cornwall is the best UK county for solar, with roughly 24,689 solar installations

Over the past decade, solar energy has emerged as a viable, mainstream solution to climate change. Homeowners are propping them on their roofs, businesses are investing in them to help boost profits, and solar panel costs have fallen massively.

And as both the energy crisis and climate change worsen, there's never been a better time to brush up on all things renewable – starting with solar.

In this article, we’ll reveal the world’s collective solar capacity, discuss the UK’s ever-improving solar credentials, and find out which area of the UK is best suited for solar panels.

What's on this page?

How much solar energy hits the earth every day?

173,000 terawatts (TW) of solar energy strike the Earth at any given moment, according to physics professor Washington Taylor. This is more than 10,000 times the world’s total energy use during the same period of time.

To put this into perspective, the world’s population currently consumes roughly 23,900 terawatt-hours (TWh) of power each year – most of which is generated by fossil fuels.

What is the world’s solar capacity?

Solar capacity refers to the maximum output of an entity, such as a country or a solar farm. In 2022, the global solar capacity was just over 1 terawatt (TW) – up 26% from the previous year. This growth pattern is expected to continue.

In fact, the International Energy Agency (IEA) suggests that global solar capacity will triple by the end of 2027, becoming the largest power source in the world.

But when it comes to how much solar energy is actually being generated, which country is performing the best? Take a look at the map below to find out.

How much solar energy is consumed worldwide?

According to Our World in Data, the average amount of solar energy consumed per capita was 432 kWh during 2022.

The country that consumed the most solar energy per capita in 2022 was Australia – getting through 3,868 kWh – followed by the Netherlands, Japan, Israel, and Chile.

Focusing on the amount of energy consumed per capita, rather than cumulative consumption, is particularly useful when comparing countries. This means that the results won’t purely come down to the country’s size.

What percentage of the world’s renewable energy is solar?

According to the IEA, renewable energy accounted for 40% of global power capacity in 2022 – an increase by 9.6% from 2021.

During this time, solar energy accounted for around 15% of renewable electricity, making it the third largest contributor. Hydropower accounted for over half of renewable energy, and wind for 25%.

All in all, around 4.5% of the world's global electricity generation comes from solar.

Data from Our World in Data

As you can see, solar makes a substantial percentage of the global renewable energy mix. Plus, it's set to lead the way in the renewable revolution. In fact, it grew the most out of all renewable energies in 2022, according to the IEA.

What percentage of the UK’s renewable energy is solar?

As it stands, solar doesn’t make up much of the UK’s energy mix. It accounted for only 2.3% of the renewable energy share of electricity generation in the first quarter of 2023, according to the Government Energy Trends Report.

Although this figure is pretty low, solar capacity in the UK is increasing, with 0.4 GW added at the beginning of 2023 alone . Renewables were also responsible for 47.8% of UK energy generation in the first quarter of 2023, which is an all time record.

Data from Government Energy Trends Report, June 2023

As you can see, despite solar capacity increasing in 2023, solar generation has decreased a little since 2022. This could be due to a number of factors, such as bad weather. This is also the case for hydro. Wind on the other hand increased significantly, which just goes to show that while adverse weather (storms for example) might be bad for solar generation, it isn't bad for all types of renewables.

The next few years will further shape the UK’s renewable sector, and due to the ongoing war in Ukraine and the energy crisis, exactly how the industry is going to change is still a looming question.

The UK government has pledged to reach net zero emissions by 2050, and switching to renewable energy is the surest way to do that. But with Prime Minister Rishi Sunak planning to grant more than 100 new oil and gas licenses in the North Sea, many environmental groups are questioning the governments commitment to reducing emissions.

You might also like: 13 Solar Panel Facts: Why 2022 is the Tipping Point for Solar Usage.

What is the UK’s solar capacity?

As of 2023, the UK’s total solar capacity stands at 15 GW, according to trade body Solar Energy UK.

This is set to increase each year – with 0.952 GW of solar PV capacity being installed around the UK between June 2022 and June 2023 alone.

For example, domestic solar panel installations almost doubled in 2022, compared to 2021. According to Solar Energy UK Chief Executive Chris Hewett, domestic solar panel installations will have to keep doubling each year in order to reach government targets.

How many solar panels are there in the UK?

Although it’s pretty difficult to estimate the exact number of solar panels in the UK, the latest MCS data suggests there are 1.3 million UK homes with solar panel installations.

This means only 4.1% of the 29 million homes in the UK are generating electricity from solar panels – a figure that will hopefully continue to increase as solar panels get more affordable in the coming years.

There are also currently just a little over 1,000 solar farms operating in the UK, which provide clean energy to the Grid.

Ever wondered how many panels we’d need to power the whole country? According to Finder, we would need 29,690 km² of land to home our beloved panels. Compared to larger countries, this is pretty small – but due to the UK’s dainty size, this would take up 12% of our entire landmass.

What is the best county in the UK for solar panels?

Cornwall has been crowned the best county for solar. Home to roughly 24,689 solar panel installations (MCS, 2023), it is now one of the best-performing regions for renewable energy in the country.

For perspective, there are a total of 183,015 renewable energy sites in the south-west, and roughly 13% are located in Cornwall.

One of the main reasons why Cornwall is so good for solar is, of course, the weather. Put simply, there’s more sunshine for panels to absorb here, compared to solar panels in Scotland or northern England.

To give you an idea of how sunny Cornwall is, we’ve outlined just how much sunlight different UK regions received during 2020 in the chart below.

Whilst sunshine is key for solar panels, you want to make sure that they don’t overheat. According to manufacturers’ standards, 25°C is the optimum temperature for solar panels to operate.

Despite its sunny disposition, Cornwall typically experiences lower temperatures than other southern UK regions, as you can see on the graph below. This makes it the perfect location for panels.

Which country has the most solar panels?

China has the largest solar capacity in the world by a long shot. Want to see just how far ahead the country is when it comes to solar panel numbers? Check out the graph below, which puts China’s reign of (solar) power into perspective:

Data from Our World in Data

China’s growth in the solar industry has been phenomenal – its solar installations have exploded from 2.5 GW of cumulative installation in 2011 to around 393 GW in 2022.

It doesn’t stop there, either. As well as generating all this power domestically, China provides around 80% of the world’s solar panels.

For a review of JA Solar solar panels, which is one of China's biggest solar panel manufacturers, head to our page.

How many solar panels are there in China?

The short answer: a lot. In just 25 years, China has gone from having virtually no solar panels to having the biggest capacity out of any country.

What’s even more impressive is how creatively the country has implemented its solar plants. For example, its boldest solar plant, Dezhou Dingzhuang Solar Farm, is the world’s largest floating marine solar farm. Situated in the northwestern province of Shandong, this solar farm holds a capacity of roughly 320 MW worth of solar panels on a lake.

China is even getting creative with the placement of its panels on land, too. If you fly over Datong County, you’ll see two giant pandas constructed from thousands of solar panels. And to think, some people complain about how solar panels look.

To put China’s growth into perspective, check out the aerial view of one of its largest solar power plants, Longyangxia solar park – its four million solar panels cover a massive 27 square kilometres (10 square miles) of Qinghai province:

Although the aerial view shows how much the plant has grown, it doesn’t quite emphasise how large it is. The first photo was taken in April 2013, when the plant had just started development, whereas the second was taken in January 2017. Its four million solar panels cover a massive 27 square kilometers (10 square miles) of Qinghai province.

Who is the largest producer of solar panels?

Since China dominates the solar industry, it’s not surprising that it’s home to most of the biggest and best solar panel manufacturers.

Below, we’ve listed the top 10 solar manufacturers in the world.

Data from The National Renewable Energy Laboratory's Spring 2023 Solar Industry Update

You can find more information about the top seven largest solar panel manufacturers by going to our page.

What is the largest solar panel plant in the world?

China takes the top spot again in this category. Golmud Solar Park, located in the Qinghai Province, is the world's largest solar panel plant. It has nearly seven million solar panels, with a capacity of 2.8 GW.

But it might not be at the top spot for much longer. The Datong solar farm in Xinjiang, which so far has a capacity of 1 GW, is set to grow to 3 GW when the final two phases of the project are completed.

Check out the 10 largest solar panels in the world in the table below:

Attitudes towards solar panels

More homeowners are considering buying solar panels to reduce both their energy bills and their carbon footprints.

In our most recent National Home Energy Survey, we found that 85% of respondents knew what solar panels are, and 69% would buy or rent a property that had solar panels installed (up from 65% last year).

We also found that opinions on solar panels aligned with age. A staggering 74% of Gen Z said they were likely to purchase a property with solar panels.

The numbers were slightly lower (but still favourable) for the Silent Generation and Baby Boomers, 61% and 65% of which, respectively, would purchase a property with solar panels.

Interestingly, only 5% of respondents actually purchased solar panels in the past 12 months.

So what’s holding people back? Like many things in life, it comes down to money. Solar panels cost roughly £7,860 for the average house, which is more than what a lot of people can afford.

In our survey, roughly half of respondents said they would purchase solar panels themselves if money wasn't an issue, whilst 43% said high energy bills prevented them from buying green tech in general.

On the bright side though 47% of respondents did say they acquired one piece of low-carbon tech in the past year, with cheaper products such as smart metres and smart appliances being the most commonly purchased.

What next?

Want to hop on the solar panel bandwagon? Check out our page on Solar Panel Costs to figure out what type of panels will suit you and your family.

Want to speed up the process? Try comparing solar panel quotes by simply popping a few details in this short form. Once we receive your information, we’ll connect you with our solar panel experts, who will soon be in touch with an array of solar panel quotes to choose from.

FAQs