Solar (photovoltaic) panels cumulative capacity in United States
United States: Solar (photovoltaic) panels cumulative capacity was 209.47 gigawatts in 2025. ◆ Volatile
Solar (photovoltaic) panels cumulative capacity in United States, 2000–2025
Source: IRENA (2026) – processed by Our World in Data. Measured in gigawatts.
Analysis
United States recorded 209.47 gigawatts for solar (photovoltaic) panels cumulative capacity in 2025. That is the highest value across all 26 years on record.
That represents a change of up 19.4% on the previous year and up 866.0% over ten years.
Over the whole period, solar (photovoltaic) panels cumulative capacity in United States peaked at 209.47 gigawatts in 2025 and was at its lowest, 0.176 gigawatts, in 2000.
United States ranks 2nd of 199 countries on this measure, in the top 10%.
The series is highly variable year to year, so single readings are best treated with caution.
Solar (photovoltaic) panels cumulative capacity in United States, year by year
| Year | gigawatts | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2000 | 0.176 gigawatts | — |
| 2001 | 0.213 gigawatts | +21.0% |
| 2002 | 0.255 gigawatts | +19.7% |
| 2003 | 0.293 gigawatts | +14.9% |
| 2004 | 0.363 gigawatts | +23.9% |
| 2005 | 0.493 gigawatts | +35.8% |
| 2006 | 0.698 gigawatts | +41.6% |
| 2007 | 0.974 gigawatts | +39.5% |
| 2008 | 1.15 gigawatts | +18.4% |
| 2009 | 1.61 gigawatts | +40.0% |
| 2010 | 2.91 gigawatts | +80.2% |
| 2011 | 5.17 gigawatts | +77.8% |
| 2012 | 8.14 gigawatts | +57.3% |
| 2013 | 11.76 gigawatts | +44.5% |
| 2014 | 15.98 gigawatts | +35.9% |
| 2015 | 21.68 gigawatts | +35.7% |
| 2016 | 32.96 gigawatts | +52.0% |
| 2017 | 41.36 gigawatts | +25.5% |
| 2018 | 49.81 gigawatts | +20.4% |
| 2019 | 59.07 gigawatts | +18.6% |
| 2020 | 74.05 gigawatts | +25.4% |
| 2021 | 93.31 gigawatts | +26.0% |
| 2022 | 111.36 gigawatts | +19.4% |
| 2023 | 138.45 gigawatts | +24.3% |
| 2024 | 175.45 gigawatts | +26.7% |
| 2025 | 209.47 gigawatts | +19.4% |
United States compared with similar countries
- United States's 209.47 gigawatts is above the median for high income countries, which is 1.17 gigawatts, 178.5× the median. (74 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000s | 0.6232 gigawatts | 0.176 gigawatts | 1.61 gigawatts | 10 |
| 2010s | 24.88 gigawatts | 2.91 gigawatts | 59.07 gigawatts | 10 |
| 2020s | 133.68 gigawatts | 74.05 gigawatts | 209.47 gigawatts | 6 |
Countries ranked near United States
More energy & mining data for United States
- Fossil fuel consumption by fuel, per unit of GDP 0 terawatt-hours per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Primary energy use, annual growth rate 1.94 % 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 7.5% (2024)
Frequently asked questions
- What is solar (photovoltaic) panels cumulative capacity in United States?
- Solar (photovoltaic) panels cumulative capacity in United States was 209.47 gigawatts in 2025, according to IRENA (2026) – processed by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest solar (photovoltaic) panels cumulative capacity recorded in United States?
- The highest recorded value was 209.47 gigawatts in 2025.
- What is the lowest solar (photovoltaic) panels cumulative capacity recorded in United States?
- The lowest recorded value was 0.176 gigawatts in 2000.
- How does United States rank for solar (photovoltaic) panels cumulative capacity?
- United States ranks 2nd out of 199 countries with data for 2025.
- Is solar (photovoltaic) panels cumulative capacity rising or falling in United States?
- Over the last ten years it is up 866.0%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
- Where does this United States 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 — 26 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.