Solar is now El Salvador’s largest source of power capacity
Solar reached 846.62 MW, or 26.4% of El Salvador’s installed power capacity in 2025, overtaking hydro and fossil fuels to lead the national mix.
Photo by Tony Rojas on Pexels
Solar power is now El Salvador’s largest single source of electricity generation capacity. Photovoltaic plants reached 846.62 MW by the end of 2025, or 26.4% of the country’s installed capacity, overtaking both hydroelectric and fossil-fuel generation. The figures come from the dynamic electricity-statistics tool of the national regulator, the General Superintendency of Electricity and Telecommunications (Siget), reported by trade outlet pv magazine on July 2, 2026. The El Salvador solar result caps a fast climb up the national capacity table.
Siget data show solar had already passed hydroelectric power in 2024. In 2025 it also passed fossil-fuel capacity, moving into first place. El Salvador’s total installed generation capacity stood at 3,200.61 MW at the end of 2025.
How El Salvador solar overtook hydro and fossil fuels
Renewable technologies now supply most of the country’s installed capacity. The table below sets out the confirmed split for the end of 2025.
| Category | Installed capacity | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Renewable technologies | 2,072.01 MW | 64.7% |
| Non-renewable technologies | 1,128.61 MW | 35.3% |
| Total installed capacity | 3,200.61 MW | 100% |
| of which solar (PV) | 846.62 MW | 26.4% |
Source: Siget dynamic electricity-statistics tool, via pv magazine (July 2, 2026). Solar is a subset of renewable technologies.
Much of the solar total sits close to where power is used. Of the 846.62 MW, large-scale plants selling into the wholesale market account for 282.30 MW. The larger share, 564.32 MW, comes from distributed generation on homes, businesses, and industrial sites. The split is shown below.
The weight of distributed capacity means a large part of the country’s solar sits on rooftops and business sites rather than in central plants. That pattern spreads generation across the grid and closer to demand.
Why the milestone matters
Reaching first place on installed capacity is a marker of how fast solar has scaled in a small economy. Installed capacity is not the same as electricity actually generated, since solar output varies with sunlight, but it shows where new investment has gone. The trajectory fits the wider direction set out in the future of green energy: trends and predictions.
A grid leaning on solar also has to manage variable output across the day. That challenge, and the storage and grid tools used to handle it, is covered in is renewable energy really unreliable due to intermittency?. El Salvador’s high share of distributed systems adds capacity near consumers, though it does not remove the need to balance supply and demand.
Background: how El Salvador’s solar capacity grew
El Salvador is a Central American country of about 6.3 million people, with an electricity mix that historically leaned on hydroelectric and thermal (fossil-fuel) plants. Solar capacity has climbed quickly over recent years. In September 2024, Siget data reported by pv magazine put solar at 633 MW. By the end of 2025 that had risen to 846.62 MW, lifting solar past fossil-fuel capacity and into first place. The regulator’s figures show renewables now at 64.7% of installed capacity. The latest data confirm solar as the single largest technology in the country’s power system, driven in large part by distributed generation on homes and businesses.
Sources: pv magazine; pv magazine
Featured image: photo by Tony Rojas on Pexels (free Pexels license).
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I specialize in sustainability education, curriculum co-creation, and early-stage project strategy. At WINSS, I craft articles on sustainability, transformative AI, and related topics. When I’m not writing, you’ll find me chasing the perfect sushi roll, exploring cities around the globe, or unwinding with my dog Puffy — the world’s most loyal sidekick.
