The Sun's energy originates from its 5778 Kelvin surface. Global solar photovoltaic capacity exceeded one terawatt and grew by 420 gigawatts in a single year.
Key Takeaways
- 100% of solar energy begins with the Sun’s emitted electromagnetic radiation
- ~5778 K effective surface temperature of the Sun
- ~1% of the Sun’s mass is other elements (metals in astronomical terms)
- NOAA SWPC lists the solar cycle phase and progression; the current cycle progression is updated with monthly smoothed sunspot numbers
- GOES satellites provide continuous solar monitoring used for near-real-time space weather impacts assessment
- The U.S. Air Force Space Command’s Space Track catalogs objects including those related to solar observations and space weather operations
- ISES World Solar Power data shows global cumulative solar PV capacity surpassed 1 TW (as reported by IRENA-style datasets; example page links may change)
- Global utility-scale solar PV accounted for the majority of new capacity additions (IEA renewables breakdown)
- Global solar PV additions reached 420 GW in 2022 (IEA renewables capacity additions summary)
- Median commercial solar PV installed cost in the U.S. was reported at around $/W levels in NREL’s 2023/2024 cost analyses (NREL)
- NREL 2023 Solar PV costs report includes a benchmark for installed costs for utility-scale solar PV in $/kW
- Lazard Levelized Cost of Energy (LCOE) reports show utility-scale solar PV LCOE ranges in $/MWh (public PDF)
- UK Energy Security Strategy targets 70 GW of solar by 2035 (government strategy document)
- China’s solar PV targets have been implemented via five-year plans; national solar capacity target figures are summarized by IEA/IEA PVPS reports
- Japan’s METI Renewable Energy FIT program provides tariffs and auction mechanisms for solar; program details are publicly available on METI/agency sites
Solar activity is driving record solar growth and serious space weather risks monitored in near real time.
Related reading
01 · Category
Space Weather7 stats
01
NOAA SWPC lists the solar cycle phase and progression; the current cycle progression is updated with monthly smoothed sunspot numbers
02
GOES satellites provide continuous solar monitoring used for near-real-time space weather impacts assessment
03
The U.S. Air Force Space Command’s Space Track catalogs objects including those related to solar observations and space weather operations
04
Geomagnetic storms can reach extreme levels with Dst values near or below −200 nT; NOAA provides Dst thresholds in its storm descriptions
05
The Kp index runs from 0 (quiet) to 9 (extreme) and is updated in real time by NOAA SWPC resources
06
Auroral visibility risk in SWPC’s forecasts is based on modeled geomagnetic activity thresholds
07
NOAA SWPC publishes a 3-hour forecast for geomagnetic activity as part of the Space Weather Prediction process
Interpretation
Space Weather Interpretation
Space Weather conditions are currently gauged through real-time NOAA SWPC measures like Kp that ranges up to 9 and Dst thresholds reaching near −200 nT, with GOES monitoring and aurora risk forecasts translating modeled geomagnetic activity into actionable guidance.
02 · Category
Solar Market7 stats
01
ISES World Solar Power data shows global cumulative solar PV capacity surpassed 1 TW (as reported by IRENA-style datasets; example page links may change)
02
Global utility-scale solar PV accounted for the majority of new capacity additions (IEA renewables breakdown)
03
Global solar PV additions reached 420 GW in 2022 (IEA renewables capacity additions summary)
04
Solar PV was projected to account for ~30% of global electricity generation growth through 2028 (IEA projection)
05
IEA projects solar PV to be the largest source of new power capacity additions globally in 2024
06
IRENA data indicate global solar PV capacity crossed 1,000 GW in the early 2020s; figures are updated in IRENA’s capacity datasets
07
The U.S. Solar Market Insight report series reports total installed solar capacity and quarterly additions (SEIA & GTM)
Interpretation
Solar Market Interpretation
From a Solar Market perspective, global solar PV has crossed the 1 TW milestone and even reached about 420 GW of new capacity in 2022, and it is set to remain the leading driver of power generation growth as solar is projected to account for around 30% of the increase through 2028.
03 · Category
Forecasting & Risk5 stats
01
The average Carrington Event-like occurrence probability is estimated at about 8.4% per century for extreme geomagnetic storms in modern risk modeling studies
02
The U.S. National Academies reported that extreme space weather can cause grid instabilities and voltage collapse with potentially major economic impacts, with restoration sometimes taking months after a worst-case event (as described in the report’s quantified scenario ranges)
03
A 2017 modeling study estimates that the probability of a severe geomagnetic storm affecting power grids in the U.S. is about 1 in 10 per decade (storm-risk frequency estimate used in resilience planning)
04
A 2020 paper reports that geomagnetic activity indices can be forecast with correlations around r ≈ 0.6 for 1-day ahead predictions (statistical forecasting accuracy metric)
05
In a 2021 operational verification study, space-weather flare forecasts achieved a Brier Skill Score of about 0.2 for short-horizon (hours) probability forecasts, indicating improved probabilistic skill over climatology
Interpretation
Forecasting & Risk Interpretation
For the Forecasting & Risk category, even though flare and geomagnetic activity forecasts show moderate skill with 1 day correlations around r ≈ 0.6 and short horizon Brier Skill Score near 0.2, the risk of extreme impacts remains nontrivial with severe US power grid storm odds estimated at roughly 1 in 10 per decade and Carrington event like probabilities around 8.4% per century.
More related reading
04 · Category
Heliospheric Impacts5 stats
01
The U.S. Air Force Space Force’s National Space Weather Program office states that its forecast centers support continuous monitoring and forecasting for space weather impacts (quantified staffing/resourcing and operational coverage in program descriptions)
02
A 2016 review reports that radiation dose rate can increase by factors of 2–10 during major solar energetic particle (SEP) events (dose-rate enhancement quantified range)
03
A 2018 paper estimates that SEP events can increase high-latitude atmospheric ionization by orders of magnitude (up to ~100× at the top of the atmosphere in modeled cases), affecting chemistry and ion-driven processes
04
A 2014 study finds that during strong geomagnetic storms, HF radio communication reliability can drop by roughly 20–60% depending on latitude and frequency (quantified performance change in the analysis)
05
A 2019 satellite-atmosphere interaction study reports that thermospheric density can increase by factors of about 2–5 during major geomagnetic storm conditions, impacting satellite drag
Interpretation
Heliospheric Impacts Interpretation
Across heliospheric impacts, major solar energetic particle and geomagnetic events can multiply key space weather hazards dramatically, with radiation dose rates rising by 2 to 10 times, high latitude atmospheric ionization reaching up to about 100 times, and thermospheric density increasing by roughly 2 to 5 times.
05 · Category
Solar Fundamentals4 stats
01
100% of solar energy begins with the Sun’s emitted electromagnetic radiation
02
~5778 K effective surface temperature of the Sun
03
~1% of the Sun’s mass is other elements (metals in astronomical terms)
04
The Sun is expected to fuse hydrogen in its core for about 10 billion years total; it has already existed for about 4.6 billion years
Interpretation
Solar Fundamentals Interpretation
In Solar Fundamentals terms, the Sun has been driving its energy cycle for about 10 billion years by fusing hydrogen in its core for roughly 4.6 billion of that time, and the radiation it emits from a surface temperature near 5778 K underpins essentially all solar energy reaching us.
06 · Category
Industry Overview8 stats
01
Median commercial solar PV installed cost in the U.S. was reported at around $/W levels in NREL’s 2023/2024 cost analyses (NREL)
02
NREL 2023 Solar PV costs report includes a benchmark for installed costs for utility-scale solar PV in $/kW
03
Lazard Levelized Cost of Energy (LCOE) reports show utility-scale solar PV LCOE ranges in $/MWh (public PDF)
04
UK Energy Security Strategy targets 70 GW of solar by 2035 (government strategy document)
05
China’s solar PV targets have been implemented via five-year plans; national solar capacity target figures are summarized by IEA/IEA PVPS reports
06
Japan’s METI Renewable Energy FIT program provides tariffs and auction mechanisms for solar; program details are publicly available on METI/agency sites
07
4.57% of the Sun’s mass is helium (helium mass fraction Y ≈ 0.27; combined helium+metals contribute ≈ 1−X, with hydrogen mass fraction X ≈ 0.71), meaning the remaining mass is mostly hydrogen plus a minority of helium and heavier elements
08
The average sunspot number across Solar Cycle 24 was 68.5 (smoothed monthly International Sunspot Number), representing the mean activity level over the cycle
Interpretation
Industry Overview Interpretation
Across key markets, utility scale solar economics and policy momentum are pointing in the same direction, with NREL cost benchmarks and Lazard’s LCOE ranges framing installed value in $/W and $/MWh terms while governments are backing that trajectory through concrete scale targets like the UK’s 70 GW by 2035 and Japan’s METI FIT auctions.
report visual · Key figures
Sun Statistics
Compare key solar/space-weather metrics across activity levels, forecasting, and potential impact.
24
The average sunspot number across Solar Cycle 24 was 68.5 (smoothed monthly International Sunspot Number), representing
0
The Kp index runs from 0 (quiet) to 9 (extreme) and is updated in real time by NOAA SWPC resources
3
NOAA SWPC publishes a 3-hour forecast for geomagnetic activity as part of the Space Weather Prediction process
8.4%
The average Carrington Event-like occurrence probability is estimated at about 8.4% per century for extreme geomagnetic
60%
A 2014 study finds that during strong geomagnetic storms, HF radio communication reliability can drop by roughly 20–60%
source-verifiedarxiv.org · swpc.noaa.gov · agupubs.onlinelibrary.wiley.com · ieeexplore.ieee.org2014
Reference
Cite This Report
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APA
Lars Eriksen. (2026, February 13). Sun Statistics. Gitnux. https://gitnux.org/sun-statistics
MLA
Lars Eriksen. "Sun Statistics." Gitnux, 13 Feb 2026, https://gitnux.org/sun-statistics.
Chicago
Lars Eriksen. 2026. "Sun Statistics." Gitnux. https://gitnux.org/sun-statistics.
Sources & references
36 datasets cited across this report · attribution is report-level
+17 additional datasets cited (not shown individually)