According to a detailed report by the Energy & Climate Intelligence Unit, the Agreement has had a “transformative global impact,” helping push clean energy deployment far beyond what was forecast a decade ago.

That shift is borne out vividly in the numbers. In 2024, solar power added 474 TWh globally, more than any other electricity source, according to Ember’s Global Electricity Review. That represents a 29 percent increase on the previous year. An extraordinary leap, especially for such a large-scale technology. Ember’s data shows that solar generation has now doubled in just three years, hitting 2,131 TWh in 2024.

The United Nations adds even more context. Its Seizing the Moment report points out that solar, alongside wind, has become one of the fastest sources of electricity to scale up in history, thanks to rapid capacity growth on every continent. And that growth isn’t happening in just a few rich countries, it is genuinely global.

What’s driving all this is not just policy, but economics too. As solar technology becomes cheaper and more widespread, its impact multiplies. Ember describes solar as “the engine of the global energy transition” not just because of how much capacity is being added, but because that capacity is being translated into real, usable electricity.

So, while the Paris Agreement may not be the only reason for solar’s explosive growth (cheaper panels, better financing, and national clean‑energy strategies all play their part), it has clearly helped provide a framework and a signal. That signal seems to have galvanised investment, innovation, and ambition, and has helped send solar power soaring.

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