GoKawiilCheap Chinese solar panels push global capacity to nearly 1.2 terawatts
Businesses and households worldwide, including Pakistan's Bestway Cement, are rapidly installing solar panels sourced largely from low-cost Chinese manufacturers. By the end of 2025, global installed solar capacity reached almost 1.2 terawatts, roughly triple the size of the world's nuclear fleet, according to the Energy Institute's Statistical Review of World Energy. Bestway's Chakwal cement plant alone now draws over a quarter of its power from solar, with more capacity planned by year's end.
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The surge in affordable solar is reshaping energy access in developing economies, giving millions more reliable power through self-generation rather than centralized grids, while also helping households and firms cut costs amid inflation pressures worsened by conflicts in Iran and Ukraine. However, this decentralized, fast-growing capacity is straining power infrastructure and business models built for traditional centralized generation, raising questions about grid stability and future investment.
- Global solar capacity hit almost 1.2 terawatts by end of 2025, about three times the nuclear fleet's size
- Cheap Chinese-made panels are driving adoption among businesses like Bestway Cement and individual households worldwide
- Rapid, decentralized solar growth is straining grids and pricing models not designed for widespread self-generation
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Published there as: “"Offensively cheap": Solar power is looking up”
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