2026-08-16 · percent of installed electricity capacity
Solar is growing fast — still beside coal on the grid
Capacity additions ≠ overnight share of electrons.
Energy production drives roughly three-quarters of global greenhouse gas emissions, and air pollution is linked to at least five million deaths a year. Yet the world's grid still leans on coal: in 2026, coal holds about 32% of installed electricity capacity worldwide — double solar PV's 16%, even as solar grows very quickly. And capacity isn't electrons: a watt of solar runs far fewer hours a year than a watt of coal.
1 cell = 0.1 percent of installed electricity capacity (0.1% of global capacity) · 1,000 cells
Context
This grid measures installed electricity capacity, not generation or total energy use: in 2026, solar PV accounts for 16% of global capacity, coal for 32%, and the remaining 52% is split among gas, hydropower, wind, nuclear, and other sources.
Zoom out to all energy rather than electricity alone, and low-carbon sources — nuclear plus renewables — supply roughly one-seventh of global primary energy, with hydropower and nuclear still doing most of that work while wind and solar grow quickly.
The transition is real but slow: renewables have been gaining while nuclear has been rolled back, fossil fuel use — especially oil and gas — keeps rising, and coal remains the most polluting source per unit of energy. Solar's steep price declines are one reason to expect faster displacement ahead.
Ember / IEA capacity mix, rounded.
Share and export
Credit this grid as Inagrid — https://inagrid.com/e/2026-08-16-solar-capacity