1:Germany (9,785 MW)
image from http://mossandfog.com/2012/06/08/germany-proves-solar-works-in-a-big-way/
image from http://mossandfog.com/2012/06/08/germany-proves-solar-works-in-a-big-way/
Germany is
clearly the world leader. In 2009 alone, Germany installed 3,806 megawatts (MW)
of PV solar energy capacity, which is more than Spain’s total capacity and
almost eight times more than the U.S. installed last year. “The combination of
a proven feed-in-tariff (FiT) scheme, good financing opportunities, a large
availability of skilled PV companies, and a good public awareness of the PV
technology, largely contributed to this success,” European Photovoltaic
Industry Association (EPIA) reports.
2 :Spain (3,386 MW)
image from http://utopianist.com/2011/06/spain-now-running-worlds-first-solar-plant-to-create-power-at-night/
Spain was the
world leader in newly installed PV solar energy (2,605 MW) in 2008 due to the
government’s focus on creating a national solar energy industry, but its new
installed capacity decreased tremendously (to just 69 MW) in 2009. The reasons
for this drop are attributed to complexity and delays related to a new
government subsidy program and a decrease in energy demand due to the economic
crisis. With expectations that both of these will improve in 2010, and
considering its excellent sun irradiation and PV potential, Spain is expected
to bump up its solar energy capacity again this year.
3. Japan (2,633 MW)
image from http://www.solarsystems-usa.net/japan-set-to-overtake-us-and-europe-as-leading-solar-market-of-2013/#.Uu8BTPQW2So
Japan is
third globally and also a country worth emulating. Government residential PV
programs, net-metering, high national solar energy goals to reach 28 GW by 2020
and 53 GW by 2030, as well as the support of local authorities and the private
sector make Japan a world leader in this field. Japan invested $9 billion in
stimulus money in solar energy in 2009, and the prime minister also announced a
plan to install solar power at 3000 public schools.
4. United States (1,650 MW)
image from http://whitehouse.blogs.cnn.com/2012/03/21/obama-goes-after-solar-opponents-in-nevada/
Supportive
state-level
policies are
a major driver of growth in the US. With many large ground-mounted solar
projects in the pipeline, installed capacity in the US is expected to grow
significantly in coming years. Additionally, national legislation promoting
solar energy (if it comes through) could move the US forward considerably. The
cap on the federal solar tax credits was lifted in 2009, promoting growth in
this industry. Despite the recent recession, the US market for residential
solar panels doubled in 2009, and increased 37% from 2008.
5. Italy (1,167 MW)
image from http://gigaom.com/2011/05/12/sunpower-swings-to-a-loss-italy-shaking-up-solar/
Mixing net-metering and a well-segmented FiT (combined with a lot of sunshine), Italy has become a world leader in solar energy. In 2009, Italy experienced the second-largest solar energy growth in the world. Every two months, Italians install more solar power than California does in an entire year. (To put that in perspective, Italy is slightly smaller in land size than California, with a fairly similar population). “The future growth of the market will depend on the streamlining and harmonisation of administrative procedures, combined with an adapted decrease of the FIT in the third Conto Energia to cope with the expected price decrease,” the EPIA reports.
6. Czech Republic (465 MW)
image from http://www.pv-magazine.com/news/details/beitrag/czech-government-adopts-plan-to-rein-in-renewables_100000774/
A generous FiT and simple administrative procedures have put the Czech
Republic on this list. Per capita, it installed more new solar power than any
other country besides Germany in 2009. The market growth has probably boomed
unsustainably (and a little unexpectedly), however, and if appropriate policies
aren’t put in place to slow it, the nascent solar bubble is expected to bust in
the coming years.
7. Belgium (363 MW)
image from http://www.greenfudge.org/2011/06/10/start-a-love-train-belgium%E2%80%99s-solar-rail-tunnel/
Belgium was also a bit of a 2009 solar energy surprise. Belgium’s
success was from “a well-designed Green Certificates scheme (which actually
works as a Feed-in Tariff), combined with additional tax rebates and
electricity self-consumption.” Belgium is not expected to do so well in 2010
“due to a foreseen tariff decrease.”
China gets a lot of
attention these days for its green energy push, and for good reason. China is a
major solar panel manufacturer but hasn’t installed a ton of PV itself yet.
However, it now has 12 gigawatts (GW) of large projects in the pipeline and if
those projects are implemented China is expected to jump closer to the top of
the list. According to China’s national energy plan, it is expected to reach a
total of 20 GW by 2020. Nonetheless, as with many things in China, the plans
remain vague (to the rest of the world) for now. China’s solar industry has made regular appearence in Pacific Money as
various Chinese photo-voltaic (PV) companies deal with serious internal and
systemic problems, in particular a crushing debt burden,
chronic overcapacity and an inability to allow consolidation or closures.
9. France (272 MW)
image from http://inhabitat.com/enfinitys-beautiful-les-mees-solar-plants-are-capable-of-powering-9000-homes/
France has a
well-designed FiT for building-integrated
photovoltaics (BIPV), so BIPV
dominates the market there. They’ve put protections in place to help avoid
abuse of the system, and may revise the tariffs to accompany price
speculations. One key issue of concern in France is that although many MW of
solar energy have been installed, a lot of them have not been connected to the
grid. In 2009, 285 MW of capacity was installed but only 185 MW connected to
the grid. This is a major issue that needs to be resolved.
10. India (120 MW)
image from http://www.energias-renovables.com/articulo/offgrid-solar-policies-and-ground-realities
Similar to China, India has fast-increasing electricity demand and it
has very high sun irradiation levels. Its government has also been moving
forward strongly on clean
energy. It has a goal to reach 20
GW by 2020 as well. “Besides the National Solar Mission of 2009, the market
expects much of the possible decision this year to define a long-term power
purchase agreement that could definitively trigger PV deployment in India,”
EPIA states. India could quickly rise higher on this list with proper
government strategies.
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