New data released by Ember’s interactive tool show that, as of the end of last year, the global cumulative installed capacity of wind and solar power had reached 4.17 terawatts. The think tank pointed out that these figures highlight the rapid expansion of the two fastest-growing sources of electricity in history. In 2025, the combined new installed capacity of the two technologies reached a record 814 GW, a year-on-year increase of 17%. Photovoltaics dominate new installed capacity, accounting for nearly four out of every five units. New solar power capacity reached 647 GW, an 11% increase over 2024. The cumulative peak capacity has risen to 2.87 terawatts. Annual wind power capacity additions surged by 47% to 167 GW. By the end of December, the total installed capacity exceeded 1.3 terawatts.

This global dataset covers 93% of solar power and 92% of wind power installed capacity. In 2025 alone, newly added wind and solar capacity is expected to generate 1.05 petawatt-hours of electricity annually—enough to replace more than one-seventh of global natural gas–fired power generation, or 1.8 times Qatar’s annual liquefied natural gas (LNG) exports. According to the update, at current market prices, its value is equivalent to $138 billion in annual natural gas import costs.

“The scale and pace of solar energy expansion are unprecedented in the power sector. As wind capacity continues to grow rapidly, these technologies are poised to become the backbone of global electricity supply. As they scale up, they will enhance energy independence, reduce reliance on vulnerable fossil fuel supply chains, and help consumers hedge against surges in fossil fuel prices driven by geopolitical instability,” said Leonard Hübner, a data analyst at Ember.

In the European Union, photovoltaic power generation expanded by a total of 65 GW, representing an 18.6% increase. This growth rate has slowed compared with 25% during the same period last year, when the increase was also 5 GW higher. The cumulative capacity will reach 415 GW by 2025. The wind power sector grew by only 6%, the same as in 2024, reaching 247 GW.

As for the region tracked by the Balkan Green Energy News network, the report covers Turkey. Last year, photovoltaic installed capacity surged by 24.3% to 25.1 gigawatts, and an additional 1 gigawatt was added by the end of February. Wind power capacity grew by 14.7% to 14.8 GW, whereas last month it had already reached 15 GW.

As of the end of 2025, the country’s per capita solar installed capacity stands at 286 watts, compared with 924 watts in the European Union and 349 watts globally. In the wind power sector, Turkey’s per capita installed capacity is 168 watts, compared with 549 watts in the European Union and 158 watts globally.