Empowering People With Solar PV

300 Million Solar Homes: The Future of Affordable Energy

The 300 Million Solar Homes initiative is a global ambition to accelerate the deployment of customer-sited solar systems to 300 million by 2030 — representing approximately 2 TW (2,000 GW) of solar capacity serving homes, apartments, small businesses and community buildings.

The 300 million target is a shared ambition, not a forecast or a claim that the initiative will install every system. It is a call to governments, cities, finance providers, industry and civil society to accelerate deployment and unlock more affordable, reliable and locally generated energy.

An estimated 150 million solar home systems could be operating globally by the end of 2026. Under current conditions, this could reach around 225 million by 2030. Reaching 300 million would therefore require an additional 75 million systems through stronger policy, finance, permitting, grid connections and locally led programmes.

What Is 300 Million Solar Homes?

The initiative covers customer-sited solar systems of approximately 0.3 kW to 100 kW, including:

Homes and apartment buildings
Balcony and plug-in solar
Small businesses
Schools, clinics and community buildings

Systems may operate with or without storage. Batteries can enable solar electricity to be used after sunset, during periods of high demand or when the grid is unavailable.

Why Solar Homes?

Solar can give households and businesses greater control over their electricity while helping to:

Reduce electricity costs and exposure to price volatility
Improve energy reliability and resilience
Generate electricity close to where it is consumed
Extend energy access to underserved communities
Reduce pressure on centralised electricity networks
Strengthen energy security

For small businesses, schools, clinics and community facilities, solar and storage can also help maintain essential services during grid disruptions.

A Major Economic Opportunity

Reaching 300 million systems could represent approximately 1.8–2.1 TW of distributed solar capacity. Achieving this scale would require accelerated deployment, supported by effective policy, finance and markets.

Solar expansion can also create jobs in installation, manufacturing, maintenance, sales, distribution and finance. According to the International Renewable Energy Agency, solar PV already supports 7.1 million jobs globally.

Finance Is Critical

Upfront costs remain a barrier for many households and businesses, particularly in developing economies. Consumer loans, leasing, guarantees, aggregation and lower-cost capital can help turn demand into installations.

Governments and development institutions can reduce investment risks, while banks and investors can develop accessible financing products for solar and storage. Consumer protection, accredited installers and quality standards are essential to building trust.

From Global Ambition to Local Action

There is no single pathway to 300 million solar homes. Countries and cities can develop programmes suited to their energy systems and local needs, including:

National solar targets
Faster permitting and grid connections
Clear rules for solar, storage and electricity exports
Consumer finance and protection
Workforce development
Public and community-building programmes
Bulk purchasing and demand aggregation

Cities can connect residents with trusted information and accredited installers, support local programmes and use public buildings to demonstrate solar and storage.

Unlocking the Next 75 Million

If current trends lead to approximately 225 million systems by 2030, the initiative's ambition is to unlock an additional 75 million.

Governments, cities, finance providers and industry can help by removing policy, financial, regulatory and market barriers — turning global ambition into locally delivered programmes.

Building the Future of Affordable Energy

300 Million Solar Homes is built around a simple ambition: a world where more people can generate, manage and benefit from their own clean electricity.

The goal is not simply to install more solar. It is to make affordable, reliable and locally generated energy accessible to more households, businesses and communities worldwide.

300 million solar homes. The future of affordable energy.

#BringSolarHome

Distributed PV across the world

To better understand the opportunities and challenges for the growth of distributed PV across the world, we've worked with our global partners for country-level analysis on distributed PV markets.

Argentina

Argentina’s solar capacity has reached 1.51 GW, with distributed solar PV contributing just 12 MW (0.8%). The country aims for 20% renewable energy by 2025. Despite high solar irradiation levels, the distributed solar sector remainsunderdeveloped. Key challenges include complex permitting processes and financial barriers, such as delays in investment repayments due to high inflation. Simplifying these procedures and offering better incentives could enhance growth. Argentina has potential for 1 GW of distributed solar by 2030, but current regulatory and financial hurdles need addressing to realize this goal.

Read the full country analysis

Brazil

Brazil leads Latin America in solar PV with 15.8 GW, including 10.8 GW of distributed generation. In 2021, Brazil saw a record 3.95 GW increase in distributed solar capacity, driven by favorable net-metering laws and high irradiation levels. The new distributed generation law offers legal certainty, promising continued growth. Permitting is relatively straightforward, but grid connection complexity remains moderate. Brazil targets 60 GW of rooftop solar by 2030, reflecting strong policy support and market potential.

Read the full country analysis

Chile

Chile, recognized as a top emerging market for renewable energy, has a total solar PV capacity of 5.2 GW, with distributed solar contributing 2.3%. The permitting process is straightforward, but grid connection poses significant challenges. The PMGD model supports small-scale installations up to 9 MW, ensuring grid connection and a fixed purchase price for excess power. Despite high solar potential, barriers include limited grid capacity and lack of incentives for distributed energy resources. Chile aims to expand rooftop solar to 500 MW by 2026.

Read the full country analysis

Scaling-up distributed solar generation

As part of the Global Solar Council’s Empowering People with Solar PV initiative, the association has published a report ‘Scaling-up distributed solar generation: strategic action for people and climate’. The report has been developed in close collaboration with regional and national solar power associations across the world, and uncovers how countries can tap into their distributed solar PV potential.

The report is an important tool for policymakers to accelerate the energy transition in their country, and includes:

New analysis on authorization procedures and distributed PV capacity potential
Best practices and recommendations on how to streamline the permitting and grid connection process
Deep dive into the state-of-play for distributed solar PV in 12 countries, including: Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, France, Italy, Malaysia, Mexico, the Philippines, South Africa, Spain, and Ukraine