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The global pipeline of wind and utility-scale solar projects rose to a record 4.9 terawatts (TW) in 2025, highlighting the continued momentum behind clean energy even as growth shifts decisively towards emerging economies, according to a new analysis by Global Energy Monitor (GEM).
Announced, pre-construction and under-construction wind and utility-scale solar capacity increased by 11 per cent year on year, up from 4.4 TW in 2024. However, the expansion is increasingly uneven. Despite controlling roughly half of global wealth, G7 countries account for just 11 per cent of the world’s prospective wind and utility-scale solar capacity, underlining a widening gap between climate ambition and delivery in advanced economies.
China continues to dominate the global clean power pipeline, with more than 1.5 TW of prospective wind and utility-scale solar capacity — roughly equal to the combined total of the next six countries. It also hosts 448 gigawatts (GW) of projects currently under construction, more than half of the global total.
India follows with 125 GW under construction and ranks third globally in operating capacity, with more than 163 GW of wind and solar already online as it works towards its 2030 target of 500 GW of non-fossil capacity.
Beyond China and India, other emerging and middle-income economies are driving growth. Brazil has 401 GW of prospective capacity in the pipeline, followed by Australia (368 GW), India (234 GW), the United States (226 GW), Spain (165 GW) and the Philippines (146 GW), GEM data showed.
While the overall pipeline continues to expand, the pace of growth has slowed significantly. Year-on-year growth in wind and utility-scale solar dropped from 22 per cent in 2024 to 11 per cent in 2025, with wind facing sharper headwinds.
Planned wind capacity fell 13 per cent compared with the previous year, while planned solar declined by 7 per cent. GEM attributed the slowdown in wind to political barriers, policy uncertainty and a series of failed auctions in several markets.
The slowdown matters because wind projects typically deliver higher capacity factors than solar, meaning delays could have a disproportionate impact on future electricity generation. Globally, 758 GW of wind and utility-scale solar projects are under construction, with nearly three-quarters concentrated in China and India — supporting rapid build-out, but also raising concerns about geographic imbalance and supply-chain exposure.
The report highlighted stagnation across advanced economies. The combined wind and utility-scale solar pipeline of G7 countries has remained largely unchanged at around 520 GW since 2023, even as international agencies have urged them to accelerate deployment.
The International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA) has called on G7 countries to more than double annual renewable additions through 2030. Yet current project pipelines suggest they are not on track. The International Energy Agency (IEA) estimates that around 70 per cent of renewable capacity additions in G7 countries over the next five years are expected to come from wind and utility-scale solar, underscoring the disconnect between stated targets and projects actually moving forward.
Analysts point to permitting delays, grid congestion, rising financing costs, local opposition and slow transmission expansion as key barriers holding back progress.
Beyond large projects, distributed solar is playing a growing role in the energy transition. GEM’s Global Solar Power Tracker records nearly 900 GW of operating distributed solar capacity across 31 countries, representing about 42 per cent of all existing and prospective solar capacity worldwide, based on IEA estimates.
However, deployment remains heavily concentrated. China alone accounts for about 489 GW of operating distributed solar capacity — more than seven times that of Germany. Several G7 countries, including Germany, the United States, Italy, Japan and France, feature among the leading contributors, but uptake across much of the developing world remains limited.
Distributed solar could significantly improve energy access, cut electricity costs and strengthen resilience in least developed countries, if supported by enabling policies, financing and grid integration, the report said.
Despite the record pipeline, GEM warned that current trajectories fall short of the global pledge agreed at COP28 to triple renewable energy capacity by 2030. Even if all wind and utility-scale solar projects scheduled to come online by then were completed on time, the world would still face a shortfall of around 1 TW of wind capacity and 1.6 TW of utility-scale solar.
Implementation risks add to the challenge. Earlier GEM analysis suggested nearly 40 per cent of planned projects are delayed, shelved or cancelled, raising doubts about how much of the pipeline will translate into operating capacity this decade.
Grid constraints, slow permitting, limited storage deployment and underinvestment in transmission infrastructure are emerging as common bottlenecks across regions, while supply-chain pressures and policy reversals continue to weigh on investor confidence in some markets.
GEM and other analysts say closing the gap will require coordinated action on several fronts: faster permitting, expanded grid and storage investment, clearer long-term policy signals and improved financing mechanisms, particularly in developing economies where capital costs remain high.
For advanced economies, the challenge is less about technology and more about execution. Accelerating grid upgrades, reforming planning processes and aligning climate targets with industrial and energy policies will be critical to regaining momentum.