G7 ‘falling behind’ China as world’s wind and solar plans reach new high in 2025

<p>The G7 major economies &#8220;f[e]ll notably behind China and the rest of the world” in 2025 as the amount of wind and solar power being developed reached a new high, according to <a href="https://globalenergymonitor.org/" rel="noreferrer noopener" target="_blank">Global Energy Monitor</a> (GEM).</p>

<p>A new report from the analysts says that the amount of wind and large-scale solar capacity being built or planned around the world reached a record 4,900 gigawatts (GW) in 2025.</p>

<p>This “pipeline” of projects has grown by 500GW (11%) since 2024, GEM says, with the increase “predominantly” coming from developing countries.&nbsp;</p>

<p>China alone has a pipeline of more than 1,500GW, equivalent to that of the next six countries combined: Brazil (401GW); Australia (368GW); India (234GW); the US (226GW); Spain (165GW); and the Philippines (146GW).&nbsp;</p>

<p>In contrast, GEM says that G7 countries – the US, UK, France, Germany, Italy, Canada, Japan – represent just 520GW (11%) of the wind and solar pipeline, despite accounting for around half of global wealth.</p>

<p><a href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/direnkocakusak" rel="noreferrer noopener" target="_blank">Diren Kocakuşak</a>, research analyst for GEM, said in a statement that G7 countries risk “ced[ing] leadership” in what is a “booming growth sector”. He added:  </p>

<blockquote class="wp-block-quote is-layout-flow wp-block-quote-is-layout-flow">
<p>“The centre of gravity for new clean power has shifted decisively toward emerging and developing economies. [In 2025] G7 countries, despite their wealth, fell notably behind China and the rest of the world in year-over-year prospective capacity growth.”</p>
</blockquote>

<p>Moreover, while others have surged ahead, wind and solar plans in the G7 have remained largely unchanged since 2023, as shown in the chart below.&nbsp;</p>

<figure class="wp-block-image size-full"><img alt="Amount of wind and large-scale solar capacity being built or planned in the G7 major economies, China and the rest of the world, gigawatts, 2022-2025. " class="wp-image-61174" height="1178" src="https://www.carbonbrief.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/02/renewable-capacity-gw.png" width="1968" /><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">Amount of wind and large-scale solar capacity being built or planned in the G7 major economies, China and the rest of the world, gigawatts, 2022-2025. Source: Global Energy Monitor.</figcaption></figure>

<p>Of the 4,900GW of projects being built or planned and tracked by GEM, 2,700GW is wind and 2,200GW is large-scale solar.</p>

<p>However, the rate of expansion of the global pipeline for new wind and solar has slowed from 22% in 2024 to 11% last year, GEM says, with a more pronounced drop for wind projects. It adds that this was due to political barriers and a string of failed auctions.&nbsp;</p>

<p>For example, offshore wind subsidy auctions in <a href="https://www.offshorewind.biz/2025/08/06/germanys-2-5-gw-offshore-wind-tender-fails-to-attract-bids/" rel="noreferrer noopener" target="_blank">Germany</a> and the <a href="https://www.tgs4c.com/news/trimmed-down-dutch-wind-auction-attracts-no-bidders-nid32047.html" rel="noreferrer noopener" target="_blank">Netherlands</a> in 2025 did not attract any bids, while an auction in <a href="https://www.tgs4c.com/news/denmark-cancels-3-gw-offshore-wind-auction-nid30750.html" rel="noreferrer noopener" target="_blank">Denmark</a> was officially cancelled last year after there were no bidders at the end of 2024. </p>

<p>The report notes that the “growth trend of the prospective wind and [large]-scale solar pipeline is critical for meeting the <a href="https://www.carbonbrief.org/cop28-key-outcomes-agreed-at-the-un-climate-talks-in-dubai/">COP28</a> commitment to triple renewable energy capacity by 2030, as the world enters the final five years of the implementation period”.</p>

<p>At COP28 in 2023, countries committed to <a href="https://www.carbonbrief.org/qa-why-deals-at-cop28-to-triple-renewables-and-double-efficiency-are-crucial-for-1-5c/" rel="noreferrer noopener" target="_blank">tripling renewable energy</a> capacity globally by 2030 from an unspecified baseline, generally <a href="https://iea.blob.core.windows.net/assets/ecb74736-41aa-4a55-aacc-d76bdfd7c70e/COP28TriplingRenewableCapacityPledge.pdf" rel="noreferrer noopener" target="_blank">assumed</a> to be 2022.</p>

<p>According to the <a href="https://www.irena.org/" rel="noreferrer noopener" target="_blank">International Renewable Energy Agency</a> (IRENA), the world <a href="https://www.irena.org/3xrenewables" rel="noreferrer noopener" target="_blank">would need</a> to complete an average 317GW of wind and 735GW of solar capacity every year to reach this target.</p>

<p>Some 758GW of wind and large-scale solar was under construction in 2025, GEM says, with around three-quarters of this in China and India.&nbsp;</p>

<p>Both countries saw a reduction in the amount of electricity generated from coal last year, according to a separate recent analysis for <a href="https://www.carbonbrief.org/analysis-coal-power-drops-in-china-and-india-for-first-time-in-52-years-after-clean-energy-records/" rel="noreferrer noopener" target="_blank">Carbon Brief</a>.</p>

<p>Note that GEM’s report predominantly uses data from its Global Solar Power Tracker and the Global Wind Power Tracker, the first of which only includes solar projects with a capacity of 1 megawatt (MW) and the latter with a capacity of 10MW or more.</p>

<div class="guten-block block-related-articles-slider block-related-articles-slider-block_dc4fd693ae4cb45f2640242bea1c608a ">
<div class="container">
<div class="row col-edges related-slider">

<div class="col-xs-12 col-sm-3">
<div class="card card-category">

<a href="https://www.carbonbrief.org/five-key-climate-and-energy-announcements-in-indias-budget-for-2026/"><img src="https://www.carbonbrief.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/02/3DKN5HJ-300x200.jpg" /></a>

<div class="content mh">
<p class="text-header-s content"><a href="https://www.carbonbrief.org/five-key-climate-and-energy-announcements-in-indias-budget-for-2026/">Five key climate and energy announcements in India’s budget for 2026</a></p>
<div class="meta-info d-flex justify-content-start align-items-center">
<p class="text-tag-s">Explainers</p>
<span class="pipe-spacer">|</span>
<p class="text-tag-meta">04.02.26</p>
</div>
</div>
</div>
</div>

<div class="col-xs-12 col-sm-3">
<div class="card card-category">

<a href="https://www.carbonbrief.org/experts-will-chinese-wind-power-help-or-hinder-europes-climate-goals/"><img src="https://www.carbonbrief.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/01/2S877EA-300x200.jpg" /></a>

<div class="content mh">
<p class="text-header-s content"><a href="https://www.carbonbrief.org/experts-will-chinese-wind-power-help-or-hinder-europes-climate-goals/">Experts: Will Chinese wind power help or hinder Europe’s climate goals?</a></p>
<div class="meta-info d-flex justify-content-start align-items-center">
<p class="text-tag-s">China Policy</p>
<span class="pipe-spacer">|</span>
<p class="text-tag-meta">30.01.26</p>
</div>
</div>
</div>
</div>

<div class="col-xs-12 col-sm-3">
<div class="card card-category">

<a href="https://www.carbonbrief.org/qa-what-trumps-us-exit-from-unfccc-and-ipcc-could-mean-for-climate-action/"><img src="https://www.carbonbrief.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/01/2XCW1WW-300x200.jpg" /></a>

<div class="content mh">
<p class="text-header-s content"><a href="https://www.carbonbrief.org/qa-what-trumps-us-exit-from-unfccc-and-ipcc-could-mean-for-climate-action/">Q&amp;A: What Trump’s US exit from UNFCCC and IPCC could mean for climate action</a></p>
<div class="meta-info d-flex justify-content-start align-items-center">
<p class="text-tag-s">International policy</p>
<span class="pipe-spacer">|</span>
<p class="text-tag-meta">09.01.26</p>
</div>
</div>
</div>
</div>

<div class="col-xs-12 col-sm-3">
<div class="card card-category">

<a href="https://www.carbonbrief.org/iea-declining-coal-demand-in-china-set-to-outweigh-trumps-pro-coal-policies/"><img src="https://www.carbonbrief.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/12/3D58NGG-300x200.jpg" /></a>

<div class="content mh">
<p class="text-header-s content"><a href="https://www.carbonbrief.org/iea-declining-coal-demand-in-china-set-to-outweigh-trumps-pro-coal-policies/">IEA: Declining coal demand in China set to outweigh Trump’s pro-coal policies</a></p>
<div class="meta-info d-flex justify-content-start align-items-center">
<p class="text-tag-s">Coal</p>
<span class="pipe-spacer">|</span>
<p class="text-tag-meta">17.12.25</p>
</div>
</div>
</div>
</div>

</div>

</div>
</div>

<p>The post <a href="https://www.carbonbrief.org/g7-falling-behind-china-as-worlds-wind-and-solar-plans-reach-new-high-in-2025/">G7 ‘falling behind’ China as world’s wind and solar plans reach new high in 2025</a> appeared first on <a href="https://www.carbonbrief.org">Carbon Brief</a>.</p>