Rising Solar Stars: Top 5 Sub 10 GW Solar Markets For 2025

Solar energy has become a cornerstone of the global transition to sustainable power, driving economic growth and innovation while offering significant environmental benefits. Historically, countries like China, India, the US, Germany, and Brazil have led the charge in solar development. However, in recent years, a wave of new entrants has reshaped the industry, with several of these new solar markets achieving gigawatt-scale annual capacity additions and poised for even greater expansion through 2025.

The World Solar Market Report reveals the scale of this transformation, with global solar capacity surging from 1.22 GW in 2000 to 1,418.97 GW by 2023. Similarly, the World Investment Report highlights a global shift toward sustainable energy, with investments growing from USD 2.4 trillion in 2018 to an anticipated USD 3.1 trillion by 2024. Solar energy leads renewable energy investments, accounting for 59 percent of the total, driven by declining costs and robust growth, particularly in the Asia-Pacific region.

In this blog, we delve into the top five emerging solar energy markets set to shine in 2025, highlighting their rapid rise and growing significance in the global solar landscape, even as the largest market continue to add solar in the tens of GWs. In fact, between China, India, the US, Australia and Germany, powered by China’s 170 GW of projected additions, total solar additions should breach the 250 GW mark this year. 

#1 Saudi Arabia

Saudi Arabia has made remarkable strides in renewable energy, particularly in solar power, over the past few years. Between 2022 and early 2024, the Kingdom added 2.1 GW of renewable energy capacity—a 300 percent jump from the 700 MW achieved in the entire decade before 2022. This renewed focus positions Saudi Arabia as a leader in the Middle East’s solar expansion, with Wood Mackenzie projecting the region will exceed 160 GW in solar capacity by 2033, an eightfold increase from 2023, driven largely by Saudi initiatives.

The Kingdom’s burgeoning PV manufacturing capacity could support utility-scale solar installations averaging 5.5 GW annually starting in 2025. This year is set to redefine Saudi Arabia’s solar trajectory. According to a GlobalData report, the country’s renewable power capacity is expected to grow at a CAGR of over 40 percent from 2023 to 2030, potentially reaching 31.5 GW by 2030 and 63.1 GW by 2035.

In 2024, the groundwork for this transformation was evident as Saudi Arabia inked agreements for 5,500 MW of solar PV projects under the National Renewable Energy Program. Saudi Power Procurement Company (SPPC) plans to issue annual tenders for renewable projects, aiming for 20 GW of new capacity each year. Giving credence to those targets is an ambitious plan to add energy storage, where contraacts for over 10 GWh are set to be awarded soon. The goal is to achieve a total renewable energy capacity of 100 to 130 GW by 2030.

#2 Poland

Electricity generation derived from solar power is growing at a faster rate in Central and Eastern Europe – 49 percent annual growth rate in the past three years – than in any other European region. The region vastly exceeds the growth rates seen in both wealthier and sunnier parts of the continent. Poland is one of the major drivers of solar capacity additions in the region in recent times. 

Poland had exceeded 17GW of cumulative installed solar PV capacity by the end of 2023 as the country added about 4.6 GW of new solar capacity in a calendar year, as per Instytut Energetyki Odnawialnej (IEO) report. Through 2024, the Central European nation kept up its pace, with the cumulative solar capacity reaching the 20 GW mark, adding more than 10 GW energy in the previous three years. 

The outlook for Poland’s solar sector remains optimistic for 2025, with investments in the industry now more appealing than ever. Government subsidies for small private PV systems and elevated electricity prices, exceeding 30 eurocents per kilowatt-hour for businesses, are expected to drive further growth. These factors position Poland as a regional leader in solar energy for the coming years.

Poland’s power grid operator, Polskie Sieci Elektroenergetyczne (PSE), has unveiled an ambitious USD 15.4 billion (64 billion zlotys) investment plan covering 2025 to 2034. This plan aims to support the delivery of approximately 45 GW of solar PV capacity and a total of 82 GW of renewable energy capacity by 2034, starting from 2025. These developments highlight Poland’s commitment to expanding its renewable energy infrastructure and solidifying its role as a leader in the region.

#3 Hungary

Hungary, another solar leader in the region, aims to raise the share of renewable energy in its energy mix to reach 40 percent by 2030. Emerging as a renewable energy hotspot, the country has been adding over 1 GW solar capacity for three years now and has already surpassed the 6 GW solar installation target Hungary had set earlier for 2030. After installing 1.6 GW in 2023. Hungary further added 1.3 GW of solar in the first 10 months of 2024, with cumulative installed capacity now crossing 7.3 GW. 

The favorable policy measures of the government and its aggressive push for solar have been guiding the record growth rates witnessed so far. The country now revised and doubled its 2030 solar target, providing its solar industry with fresh impetus. 

Hungary has introduced measures to simplify solar panel installations on apartment buildings, fostering energy communities. The Napenergia Plusz Program supports rooftop solar with grants, starting with HUF 75.8 billion (USD 204.8 million) in January 2024, later increased by HUF 30 billion in July. Moreover, only grid-connected solar systems will be allowed July 2025 onwards, highlighting the RE-grid integration as a priority for the country.

#4 Romania

Romania is another Eastern/Central European country which is expanding its solar power at a rapid pace. The country added over 1 GW of new capacity through distributed generation and utility-scale projects. This marked a 308 percent increase compared to the capacity deployed in 2022, establishing solar PV as the fastest-growing power source in the country.

The country aims to expand its solar capacity from 1.9 GW in 2023 to 8 GW by 2030, that is in the next half a decade. Through the Contracts for Difference (CfD) scheme, the nation targets 5 GW of solar and wind by 2025, with 500 MW and 2 GW set for the first and second CfD rounds, respectively. Thus, we can expect the country to maintain its high solar growth rate through 2025 like it has shown in recent years. 

#5 Bulgaria

Bulgaria’s solar energy sector has taken centre stage in its transition to a sustainable energy future. With a target to boost renewable energy’s share in electricity consumption to 34.7 percent by 2030—more than double the 16 percent target set in 2020—solar power has emerged as the focal point of the nation’s energy strategy. Over the past two years, 1.3 GW of additional solar PV capacity has been installed, showcasing the sector’s rapid growth.

Central to Bulgaria’s decarbonisation efforts is the landmark tender for renewable energy projects with integrated battery storage systems, which awarded over 3 GW of new solar PV projects. This initiative, a key part of the country’s Recovery and Resilience Plan, underscores the critical role of solar energy in meeting its target of 3.5 GW of new renewable capacity by 2026. The year 2025 is poised to solidify solar as the backbone of Bulgaria’s renewable expansion.

Attracting significant international investments, the solar sector is also receiving support from the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD). The bank has committed €50 million to Tenevo Solar Technologies EAD to develop a 237 MW solar PV plant in southeastern Bulgaria—the first EBRD project in the nation backed by the InvestEU guarantee. These developments highlight that solar energy is not just a priority but a defining element of Bulgaria’s energy future.