Where Are the World’s Largest Solar Power Plants?
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Where are the World’s Largest Solar Power Plants?

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2 years ago

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World's 15 largest solar power plants

Visualizing the World’s Largest Solar Power Plants

Devastating wildfires, rising temperatures, and warming seas across the world have added renewed vigor to the global quest for carbon emission reductions.

And in this hunt for sustainable alternatives to air-polluting energy sources, solar power plants have emerged as shining beacons of hope.

In this graphic, Pranav Gavali uses data from Statista to shed light on the world’s 15 largest solar power plants (and solar parks) illuminating the world as of 2021.

World’s Largest Solar Power Plants By Capacity

Solar power plants have been harnessing the sun’s abundant rays over the past two decades, but plants with capacities in the thousands of megawatts have only come online within the last few years.

And two countries have been leading their rollout: China and India. Together they housed nine of the 15 largest solar power plants in the world in 2021.

Here are the top 15 solar power plants (photovoltaic power stations) by installed capacity:

Rank NameCountryCapacity
1Bhadla Solar Park🇮🇳 India2,245 MW
2Huanghe Hydropower Hainan Solar Park🇨🇳 China2,200 MW
3Pavagada Solar Park🇮🇳 India2,050 MW
4Benban Solar Park🇪🇬 Egypt1,650 MW
5Tengger Desert Solar Park🇨🇳 China1,547 MW
6Noor Abu Dhabi🇦🇪 UAE1,177 MW
7Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum Solar Park🇦🇪 UAE1,013 MW
8Kurnool Ultra Mega Solar Park🇮🇳 India1,000 MW
9Datong Solar Power Top Runner Base🇨🇳 China1,000 MW
10NP Kunta🇮🇳 India978 MW
11Longyangxia Dam Solar Park🇨🇳 China850 MW
12Villanueva Solar Park🇲🇽 Mexico828 MW
13Copper Mountain Solar Facility🇺🇸 United States802 MW
14Mount Signal Solar Park🇺🇸 United States794 MW
15Rewa Ultra Mega Solar Park🇮🇳 India750 MW

India’s Bhadla Solar Park is the world’s largest solar park as of the time of the dataset. It has the capacity to generate 2,245 megawatts of electricity alone, enough to power 1.3 million homes. The country also has the third-largest solar power plant, Pavagada Solar Park, and five of the top 15.

China is the world’s largest producer of solar energy and had four of the 15 largest solar plants in 2021. Huanghe Hydropower’s Hainan Solar Park—listed in some sources as Golmud Solar Park—is the world’s second largest solar power plant with a 2,200 megawatt capacity, while Tengger Desert Solar Park (also known as the “Great Wall of Solar”) was formerly the largest solar park in the world with a 1,547 megawatt capacity.

One thing the world’s largest solar power plants have in common is access to large stretches of open land, particularly deserts. And three of the newest mega solar parks are in the Middle East: Egypt’s Benban Solar Park, and UAE’s Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum Solar Park and Noor Abu Dhabi Solar Power Plant.

Solar energy usage has been growing exponentially across the Atlantic as well, just not as fast as in Asia. Mexico’s Villanueva Solar Park is the largest solar plant in the Americas with an 828 megawatt capacity, while the Copper Mountain Solar Facility (802 MW) in Nevada and the Mount Signal Solar Park (794 MW) in California are the largest plants in the United States.

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This article was published as a part of Visual Capitalist's Creator Program, which features data-driven visuals from some of our favorite Creators around the world.

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Culture

Ranked: The 40 Countries With the Best Culture and Heritage

Discover the top 40 countries ranked for culture and heritage in 2024, as determined by U.S. News & World Report’s annual survey.

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7 hours ago

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July 19, 2025

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This cropped map ranks the 40 countries in the world with the best culture and heritage, according to a global survey conducted in 2024.

Ranked: The 40 Countries With the Best Culture & Heritage

This was originally posted on our Voronoi app. Download the app for free on iOS or Android and discover incredible data-driven charts from a variety of trusted sources.

Key Takeaways

  • Greece is the best country in the world known for culture and heritage, according to a global survey conducted in 2024.
  • European countries rank in five of the top 10 spots.

The richness of a country’s culture and heritage is often what makes it unforgettable to visitors and cherished by its people.

From ancient ruins to cuisine, music, and tradition, culture helps define national identity and global influence.

This ranking highlights the 40 countries that people around the world think have the best culture and heritage.

The infographic is based on a global survey conducted by U.S. News & World Report that asked 17,000 respondents to evaluate countries based on five key attributes: cultural accessibility, historical significance, food, cultural attractions, and geographic appeal.

ℹ️ Their survey was conducted between March 22nd–May 23rd, 2024.

Thus, these ranks reflect public perceptions and not hard data.

Skip to the last section for a breakdown of the source’s methodology in assigning these ranks.

The Best Countries for Culture and Heritage

Greece ranks #1 in culture and heritage thanks to its unparalleled historical legacy.

Culture &
Heritage Rank		Country
1🇬🇷 Greece
2🇮🇹 Italy
3🇪🇸 Spain
4🇫🇷 France
5🇹🇷 Turkey
6🇲🇽 Mexico
7🇪🇬 Egypt
8🇹🇭 Thailand
9🇵🇹 Portugal
10🇮🇳 India
11🇯🇵 Japan
12🇧🇷 Brazil
13🇨🇳 China
14🇲🇦 Morocco
15🇬🇧 UK
16🇮🇪 Ireland
17🇦🇷 Argentina
18🇦🇹 Austria
19🇺🇸 U.S.
20🇦🇺 Australia
21🇮🇩 Indonesia
22🇳🇿 New Zealand
23🇩🇪 Germany
24🇻🇳 Vietnam
25🇵🇪 Peru
26🇿🇦 South Africa
27🇳🇱 Netherlands
28🇲🇾 Malaysia
29🇨🇭 Switzerland
30🇨🇦 Canada
31🇳🇴 Norway
32🇰🇷 South Korea
33🇧🇪 Belgium
34🇸🇬 Singapore
35🇨🇱 Chile
36🇵🇭 Philippines
37🇸🇦 Saudi Arabia
38🇭🇺 Hungary
39🇷🇺 Russia
40🇭🇷 Croatia

As the birthplace of democracy, Western philosophy, and the Olympic Games, the influence of Greece runs deep.

Respondents also appreciated the country’s food, Mediterranean landscapes, and accessibility to historical sites.

In fact, its tourism sector has been a success story in an otherwise stark decade for Greece and it remains perennially short-staffed in the peak summer season.

Europe Dominates the Top Countries for Best Culture

Europe claims seven of the top 10 spots, with Italy, Spain, and France following Greece.

These countries are rich in UNESCO World Heritage sites, art, and cuisine.

Their long histories of empire, religion, and art have left indelible marks on countries around the world, in turn influencing local cultures.

Rising Cultural Influence from Asia

Thailand, India, and Japan all appear in the top 15, highlighting Asia’s growing cultural impact.

Thailand is recognized for its unique traditions and food, while India’s vast spiritual and architectural heritage boosts its rank.

Japan scores well across the categories, and ranks second on the best countries list as well.

Does Any Country Really Have the Best Culture?

U.S. News designs its “Best Countries” ranking around 73 attributes grouped into 10 thematic subrankings, such as Heritage, Quality of Life, Power, and Entrepreneurship.

For the Heritage subtheme, they used five, equally-weighted attributes mentioned earlier:

  • Culturally accessible
  • Has a rich history
  • Has great food
  • Many cultural attractions
  • Many geographical attractions

A survey is distributed globally to about 17,000 respondents, including business leaders, informed elites, and general citizens.

Each participant is shown a random subset of countries (that must meet GDP, tourism, and FDI thresholds) and asked to rate how strongly they associate those countries with each of the five attributes.

These individual attributes are pre-assigned to categories by researchers, and scores are normalized on a 0–100 scale to determine final ranks.

Learn More on the Voronoi App

If you enjoyed today’s post, check out another “best” graphic, like, Ranked: The Best Places to Work in America on Voronoi, the new app from Visual Capitalist.

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