Solar (photovoltaic) panels cumulative capacity in Canada
Canada: Solar (photovoltaic) panels cumulative capacity was 5.4 gigawatts in 2025. ◆ Volatile
Solar (photovoltaic) panels cumulative capacity in Canada, 2004–2025
Source: IRENA (2026) – processed by Our World in Data. Measured in gigawatts.
Analysis
Canada recorded 5.4 gigawatts for solar (photovoltaic) panels cumulative capacity in 2025. That is the highest value across all 22 years on record.
Compared with earlier readings it is up 2.1% on the previous year and up 152.3% over ten years.
Over the whole period, solar (photovoltaic) panels cumulative capacity in Canada peaked at 5.4 gigawatts in 2025 and was at its lowest, 0.001 gigawatts, in 2004.
Canada ranks 36th of 199 countries on this measure, in the top quarter.
The series is highly variable year to year, so single readings are best treated with caution.
Solar (photovoltaic) panels cumulative capacity in Canada, year by year
| Year | gigawatts | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2004 | 0.001 gigawatts | — |
| 2005 | 0.001 gigawatts | +0.0% |
| 2006 | 0.001 gigawatts | +0.0% |
| 2007 | 0.002 gigawatts | +100.0% |
| 2008 | 0.004 gigawatts | +100.0% |
| 2009 | 0.05 gigawatts | +1150.0% |
| 2010 | 0.188 gigawatts | +276.0% |
| 2011 | 0.423 gigawatts | +125.0% |
| 2012 | 0.651 gigawatts | +53.9% |
| 2013 | 1.03 gigawatts | +58.1% |
| 2014 | 1.57 gigawatts | +52.3% |
| 2015 | 2.14 gigawatts | +36.6% |
| 2016 | 2.27 gigawatts | +5.8% |
| 2017 | 2.49 gigawatts | +10.1% |
| 2018 | 2.63 gigawatts | +5.5% |
| 2019 | 2.83 gigawatts | +7.5% |
| 2020 | 3.07 gigawatts | +8.5% |
| 2021 | 3.85 gigawatts | +25.6% |
| 2022 | 4.32 gigawatts | +12.1% |
| 2023 | 5.04 gigawatts | +16.6% |
| 2024 | 5.29 gigawatts | +4.9% |
| 2025 | 5.4 gigawatts | +2.1% |
Canada compared with similar countries
- Canada's 5.4 gigawatts is above the median for high income countries, which is 1.17 gigawatts, 4.6× the median. (74 countries reporting)
Biggest year-on-year movements
Years where Solar (photovoltaic) panels cumulative capacity in Canada changed far more than this series normally does. A large move can be a real event or a change in how the figure was measured — the source note below says who published it.
| Year | Change | From | To |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2009 | +1150.0% | 0.004 gigawatts | 0.05 gigawatts |
| 2010 | +276.0% | 0.05 gigawatts | 0.188 gigawatts |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000s | 0.0098 gigawatts | 0.001 gigawatts | 0.05 gigawatts | 6 |
| 2010s | 1.62 gigawatts | 0.188 gigawatts | 2.83 gigawatts | 10 |
| 2020s | 4.5 gigawatts | 3.07 gigawatts | 5.4 gigawatts | 6 |
Countries ranked near Canada
More energy & mining data for Canada
- Fossil fuel consumption by fuel, per unit of GDP 0 terawatt-hours per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Primary energy use, annual growth rate 1.48 % change on previous year (2025)
- Coal consumption, per capita 0 terawatt-hours per person (2025)
- Coal consumption, per unit of GDP 0 terawatt-hours per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Primary energy use, per unit of GDP 0 terawatt-hours per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Primary energy use, per capita 0.0001 terawatt-hours per person (2025)
- Coal production, per capita 0 terawatt-hours per person (2025)
- Coal production, per unit of GDP 0 terawatt-hours per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Fossil fuel consumption by fuel, per capita 0 terawatt-hours per person (2025)
- Fuel imports 6.5% (2024)
Frequently asked questions
- What is solar (photovoltaic) panels cumulative capacity in Canada?
- Solar (photovoltaic) panels cumulative capacity in Canada was 5.4 gigawatts in 2025, according to IRENA (2026) – processed by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest solar (photovoltaic) panels cumulative capacity recorded in Canada?
- The highest recorded value was 5.4 gigawatts in 2025.
- What is the lowest solar (photovoltaic) panels cumulative capacity recorded in Canada?
- The lowest recorded value was 0.001 gigawatts in 2004.
- How does Canada rank for solar (photovoltaic) panels cumulative capacity?
- Canada ranks 36th out of 199 countries with data for 2025.
- Is solar (photovoltaic) panels cumulative capacity rising or falling in Canada?
- Over the last ten years it is up 152.3%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
- Where does this Canada data come from?
- The figures come from IRENA (2026) – processed by Our World in Data, published as part of Solar (photovoltaic) panels cumulative capacity. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 22 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).
About this data
Solar photovoltaic (on-grid) electricity installed capacity, measured in gigawatts.