The premier European, Belgium-headquartered photovoltaic sector member-led association, SolarPower Europe has released its annual Global Solar Market Outlook 2026-2030, finding that in 2025 a record 664 GW of new solar capacity was installed, bringing the global capacity to 3 TW, and supplying 9% of global electricity demand, up 6% from 2021.
The extensive report also turns a spotlight on Australia, which has been contributed by the Smart Energy Council, and included in part because Australia is co-hosting the upcoming COP31.
In particular, the report highlights Australia’s strategy for storage investment to unlock new opportunities from its extensive rooftop and utility-scale solar footprint.
It says Australia’s policy support has triggered an unprecedented battery storage boom in the country that is already home to the highest per-capita solar deployment globally, adding more than 10 GWh of residential storage in less than a year and beginning to decrease gas generation during evening peak demand periods.
“If more countries follow the Australian approach, our High Scenario could turn into reality, pointing to over 15% additional upside potential, with the global solar fleet reaching 7.6 TW by 2030,” SolarPower Europe’s report says.
“That pathway becomes increasingly achievable, and could be even conservative, if governments accelerate electrification, modernise power systems and draw the appropriate lessons from the recent fossil fuel energy crises.”
Market Focus: Australia
Authored by Smart Energy Council’s Senior Policy and Advocacy Officer Rhiannon Evans, Policy and Advocacy Officer Sohaib Mohammed, and Media Relations Manager Tim Lamacraft the focus on Australia highlights key milestones from the past 18 months, including the fact renewables and storage supplied 51% of demand in the National Electricity Market (NEM) for the first time in Q4 2025.
“Australia’s solar PV deployment continues to break national records, with rooftop solar leading the surge. In April 2026 alone, 437 MW of rooftop solar capacity was registered, the highest monthly figure ever recorded and well above the previous peak set during the COVID-era boom in March 2021,” the report notes.
However a strong foundation in solar deployment hinges on how quickly policy can translate momentum into a more resilient and flexible system, the authors say.
“The direction is right, yet there is still a need to reduce execution risk and give investors clearer signals. Measures such as strengthening supply chains, embedding solar- and battery-ready standards in new buildings, and refining schemes like the Capacity Investment Scheme (CIS) can help unlock a more stable pipeline of projects.”
“At the same time, closer alignment with international partners on critical minerals and clean technology offers a practical way to support both security of supply and long-term competitiveness.”
Australia’s next challenge, highlighted in the report, is whether the system can fully value and use the growing base of distributed energy assets.
“Rooftop solar and behind-the-meter batteries are being installed at pace, but without more responsive price signals and scalable virtual power plant (VPP) frameworks, much of that potential will remain underused,” the authors conclude.
“Enabling households and businesses to participate more actively in the market would turn this fragmented capacity into a meaningful source of flexibility for the grid. If supported by consistent and coordinated policy, this could provide a more cost-effective path to 2030 while strengthening energy security and sustaining growth across both solar PV and battery storage.”
Comments
Please login to comment
The June issue of pv magazine Global is out now!
Available in print and digital – get your copy today!
Thursday, July 9, 2026
11:00 am – 12:30 pm CEST, Berlin, Paris, Madrid
Thursday, June 18, 2026
2:00 pm – 3:00 pm CEST, Berlin, Paris, Madrid
Wednesday, June 10, 2026
3:00 pm – 4:00 pm CEST, Berlin, Paris, Madrid
Tuesday, June 9, 2026
11:00 am – 12:00 pm CEST, Berlin, Paris, Madrid
Thursday, June 11, 2026
5:00 pm – 6:00 pm CEST, Berlin, Paris, Madrid
Monday, June 1, 2026
5:30 pm – 6:30 pm CEST, Berlin, Madrid, Paris
Tuesday, June 16, 2026
6 am – 7:00 am CEST, Berlin
Friday, June 12, 2026
2:00 pm – 3:00 pm CEST, Berlin, Paris, Madrid
The new pv magazine Global May issue is now available!
Mountains to climb
Available in print and digital formats.
Entries open in seven categories: Modules, Inverters, BoS, BESS, Manufacturing, Sustainability, Projects.
April 01 – August 31, 2026
Energy-hungry data centers open new doors for solar and storage.
Available in print and digital formats.
You have no items in your basket.
