Led by Vietnam, Asian nations fuel world’s solar capacity growth

Executive Editor
Chart of top countries ranked by solar electricity capacity over time
Source: The Sunny Side of Asia report by Ember, Centre for Research on Energy and Clean Air and Institute for Energy Economics and Financial Analysis • Vietnam joins the chart in 2019 when it cracks the top 20. It's had a shocking rise in the rankings, not even making the top 100 in 2017.

Five of the top 10 nations with the most solar electricity capacity are in Asia, according to a new report.

Vietnam, in particular, has skyrocketed into the top echelons, going from 139th place in 2017 to 9th in 2021. India, too, has gone from 21st in 2010 to 5th last year.

The report was published by nonprofits Ember, Centre for Research on Energy and Clean Air and Institute for Energy Economics and Financial Analysis.

Notably, no African nations make the rankings. The continent, with copious amounts of sunshine, has the greatest potential for solar power, according to the World Economic Forum. Yet, comparatively little development is underway, due to high costs and other challenges Cipher wrote about last week.