GlobalData says global renewable capacity will more than double to 8.4 TW by 2031, with PV reaching nearly 6 TW, a compound annual growth rate of 13% from the 2025 level of 4.1 TW.
The report ‘Renewable Energy: Strategic Intelligence’ says solar energy has become the main driver of global renewable energy expansion due to falling costs and supportive energy transition policies. PV generation reached 2,800 TWh in 2025, surpassing wind generation of 2,770 TWh.
In terms of capacity, solar energy accounted for approximately 56.1% of global renewable capacity in 2025, with more than 2.5 TW installed. Wind represented 33.5% of the total capacity, while bioenergy contributed about 5.3%.
The Asia-Pacific region led global deployment, with 699.5 GW of installed wind capacity and 1,550 GW of solar power by 2025. China generated approximately 1,150 TWh of solar electricity that year, representing approximately 41% of global PV production.
The United States and India followed China as major solar energy producers, producing 486 TWh and 189 TWh of PV electricity respectively.
GlobalData also says that the energy transition is developing unevenly between regions. While renewable support in the United States could weaken due to policy changes under the US president Donald Trumpcontinues to accelerate deployment in other regions.
The report also highlights the growing role of artificial intelligence in the energy sector. AI is being used to improve renewable energy generation forecasts, optimize energy storage dispatch, and coordinate smart grid operations, while the rapid growth of AI data centers is creating new large-scale electricity demand.
