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Worldwide growth of photovoltaics Global growth of cumulative PV capacity in gigawatts (GWp)[1][2][3][4][5] with regional shares (IEA estimates).[6] 100 200 300 400 500 600 700 2006 2008 2010 2012 2014 2016 '18 '19   Europe   North America   Middle East and Africa   2018 Global estimate*   Asia-Pacific   China   Rest of the world   2019 Global forecast* *(2018/19 tentative figures, no regional split-up)[7][8] Recent and estimated capacity (GWp) Year-end 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016[9] 2017[10] 2018E Cumulative 100.5 138.9 178.4 229.3 306.5 403.3 ~512 Annual new 30.0 38.4 40.1 50.9 76.8 99 109[7] Cume growth 43% 38% 28% 29% 32% 32% 27% Installed PV in watts per capita    none or unknown    0.1–10 watts    10–100 watts    100–200 watts    200–400 watts    400–600 watts History of cumulative PV capacity worldwide Grid parity for solar PV around the world   reached before 2014   reached after 2014   only for peak prices   predicted U.S. states

Worldwide growth of photovoltaics has been close to exponential between 1992 and 2018.
During this period of time, photovoltaics (PV), also known as solar PV, evolved from a niche market of small scale applications to a mainstream electricity source.
When solar PV systems were first recognized as a promising renewable energy technology, subsidy programs, such as feed-in tariffs, were implemented by a number of governments in order to provide economic incentives for investments. For several years, growth was mainly driven by Japan and pioneering European countries. As a consequence, cost of solar declined significantly due to experience curve effects like improvements in technology and economies of scale. Several national programs were instrumental in increasing PV deployment, such as the Energiewende in Germany, the Million Solar Roofs project in the United States, and China's 2011 five-year-plan for energy production.^[11] Since then, deployment of photovoltaics has gained momentum on a worldwide scale, increasingly competing with conventional energy sources. In the early 21st Century a market for utility-scale plants emerged to complement rooftop and other distributed applications.^[12] By 2015, some 30 countries had reached grid parity.^[13]:9

Historically, the United States was the leader of installed photovoltaics for many years, and its total capacity amounted to 77 megawatts in 1996—more than any other country in the world at the time. From the late 1990s, Japan was the world's leader of produced solar electricity until 2005, when Germany took the lead and by 2016 had a capacity of over 40 gigawatts. In 2015, China surpassed Germany to became the world's largest producer of photovoltaic power,^[14] and in 2017 became the first country to surpass the 100 GW of installed capacity.^[15][16]

By the end of 2018, global cumulative installed PV capacity reached about 512 gigawatts (GW), of which about 180 GW (c. 35%) were utility-scale plants.^[17] This represented a growth of 27% from 2017.^[7][10]
This is sufficient to supply about 3% of global electricity demand.^{[citation needed]}
In 2017, solar PV contributed between 7% and 8% to the annual domestic consumption in Italy, Greece and Germany.
The largest penetration of solar power in electricity production are found in Honduras (10%) and Malta (9%).
Solar PV contribution to electricity in Australia, the United Kingdom, and Spain are close to 4%.
China and India moved above the world average of 2.55%, while, in descending order, France, South Africa, Korea and the United States are below the world's average.^[10]:76

Projections for photovoltaic growth are difficult and burdened with many uncertainties. Official agencies, such as the International Energy Agency (IEA) consistently increased their estimates over the years, but still fell short of actual deployment.^[18][19][20]Bloomberg NEF projects global solar installations to grow in 2019, adding another 125–141 GW resulting in a total capacity of 637–653 GW by the end of the year.^[8] By 2050, the IEA foresees solar PV to reach 4.7 terawatts (4,674 GW) in its high-renewable scenario, of which more than half will be deployed in China and India, making solar power the world's largest source of electricity.^[21][22]

Current status

Nameplate capacity denotes the peak power output of power stations in unit watt prefixed as convenient, to e.g. kilowatt (kW), megawatt (MW) and gigawatt (GW). Because power output for variable renewable sources is unpredictable, however, using nameplate capacity as a metric significantly overstates a source's average generation. Thus, capacity is typically multiplied by a suitable capacity factor, which takes into account varying conditions - weather, nighttime, latitude, maintenance, etc. to give energy planners an idea of a source's value to the public. In addition, depending on context, the stated peak power may be prior to a subsequent conversion to alternating current, e.g. for a single photovoltaic panel, or include this conversion and its loss for a grid connected photovoltaic power station.^{[3]:15[23]:10} Worldwide, the average solar PV capacity factor is 11%.^[24]

Wind power has different characteristics, e.g. a higher capacity factor and about four times the 2015 electricity production of solar power. Compared with wind power, photovoltaic power production correlates well with power consumption for air-conditioning in warm countries. As of 2017^[update] a handful of utilities have started combining PV installations with battery banks, thus obtaining several hours of dispatchable generation to help mitigate problems associated with the duck curve after sunset.^[25][26]

For a complete history of deployment over the last two decades, also see section History of deployment.

Worldwide

In 2017, photovoltaic capacity increased by 95 GW, with a 34% growth year-on-year of new installations. Cumulative installed capacity exceeded 401 GW by the end of the year, sufficient to supply 2.1 percent of the world's total electricity consumption.^[27]

Regions

As of 2018, Asia was the fastest growing region, with almost 75% of global installations. China alone accounted for more than half of worldwide deployment in 2017. In terms of cumulative capacity, Asia was the most developed region with more than half of the global total of 401 GW in 2017.^[28] Europe continued to decline as a percentage of the global PV market. In 2017, Europe represented 28% of global capacity, the Americas 19% and Middle East 2%.^[28]

Solar PV covered 3.5% and 7% of European electricity demand and peak electricity demand, respectively in 2014.^[4]:6

Countries

Worldwide growth of photovoltaics is extremely dynamic and varies strongly by country. The top installers of 2017 were China, the United States, and India.^[29] There are more than 24 countries around the world with a cumulative PV capacity of more than one gigawatt. The Philippines, Turkey, Israel, and Brazil all crossed the one gigawatt total installations mark in 2017 which Austria, Chile, and South Africa did in 2016. The available solar PV capacity in Honduras is sufficient to supply 12.5% of the nation's electrical power while Italy, Germany and Greece can produce between 7% and 8% of their respective domestic electricity consumption.^[27][2][4]

Leading PV deployments in 2017 were China (53 GW), United States (10.6 GW), India (9 GW), and Japan (7 GW), the same four countries that led 2016 installations.^[30][28]

Solar PV capacity by country (MW) and share of total electricity consumption

	2015[31]		2016[27]		2017[28]		Share of total consumption1
Country	Added	Total	Added	Total	Added	Total
China	15,150	43,530	34,540	78,070	53,000	131,000	1.8% (2017)[32]
European Union	7,230	94,570
United States	7,300	25,620	14,730	40,300	10,600	51,000	2.0% (2017)[33]
Japan	11,000	34,410	8,600	42,750	7,000	49,000	5.9% (2017)[34]
Germany	1,450	39,700	1,520	41,220	1,800	42,000	7.5% (2017)[34]
Italy	300	18,920	373	19,279	409	19,700	7.7% (2017)[35]
India	2,000	5,050	3,970	9,010	9,100	18,300	2.2%
United Kingdom	3,510	8,780	1,970	11,630	900	12,700	3.8% (2017)[34]
France	879	6,580	559	7,130	875	8,000	1.9% (2017)[36]
Australia	935	5,070	839	5,900	1,250	7,200	3.8% (2017)[37]
Spain	56	5,400	55	5,490	147	5,600	5.7% (2017)[38]
South Korea	1,010	3,430	850	4,350	1,200	5,600	1.0% (2016)[39]
Belgium	95	3,250	170	3,422	284	3,800	3.9% (2016)[40]
Turkey			584	832	2,600	3,400	2.4% (2017)[41]
Canada	600	2,500	200	2,715	212	2,900	0.5% (2016)[42]
Netherlands	450	1,570	525	2,100	853	2,900	1.8% (2017)[43]
Thailand	121	1,420	726	2,150	251	2,700	1.5% (2015)[44]
Greece	10	2,613					7.4% (2015)[5]
Czech Republic	16	2,083	48	2,131	63	2,193	3.6% (2017)[45]
Switzerland	300	1,360	250	1,640	260	1,900	2.3% (2016)[46]
Chile	446	848	746	1,610	668	1,800	5.3% (2017)[47]
South Africa	200	1,120	536	1,450	13	1,800	0.9% (2016)[48]
Romania	102	1,325					2.26% (2017)
Austria	150	937	154	1,077	153	1,250	1.9% (2016)[49]
Israel	200	881	130	910	60	1,100
Bulgaria	1	1,021
Taiwan	400	1,010
Pakistan	600	1,000
Denmark	183	789	70	900	60	910	2.8% (2016)[50]
Brazil					900	1100[51]
Philippines	122	155	756	900
Ukraine	21	432	99	531	211	742	<1% (2017)[52]
Slovakia	1	591
Portugal			58	513	57	577	1.6% (2016)[53]
Mexico			150	320	150	539
Honduras	391	391					12.5% (2015)[54]
Malaysia	63	231	54	286	50	386
Sweden	51	130	60	175	93	303	0.2% (2017)[55]
Hungary	60	138
Luxembourg	15	125
Belarus			28,1	41	55	96
Poland	57	87
Russia						75[citation needed]
Malta	19	73
Lithuania	5	73
Cyprus	5	70	14	84	21	105	3.3% (2016)[56]
Finland	5	20	10	15	23	61	0.1% (2017)[57]
Croatia	11	45
Norway	2	15	11	26.7	18	45
Estonia	4	4
Ireland	1	2
Latvia	0	2
Total	59,000[58]	256,000[58]	76,800	306,500	95,000	401,500	1.8%
1 Share of total electricity consumption for latest available year

History of leading countries

Since the 1950s, when the first solar cells were commercially manufactured, there has been a succession of countries leading the world as the largest producer of electricity from solar photovoltaics. First it was the United States, then Japan,^[60] followed by Germany, and currently China.

United States (1954–1996)

The United States, where modern solar PV was invented, led installed capacity for many years. Based on preceding work by Swedish and German engineers, the American engineer Russell Ohl at Bell Labs patented the first modern solar cell in 1946.^[61][62][63] It was also there at Bell Labs where the first practical c-silicon cell was developed in 1954.^[64][65]Hoffman Electronics, the leading manufacturer of silicon solar cells in the 1950s and 1960s, improved on the cell's efficiency, produced solar radios, and equipped Vanguard I, the first solar powered satellite launched into orbit in 1958.

In 1977 US-President Jimmy Carter installed solar hot water panels on the White House promoting solar energy^[66] and the National Renewable Energy Laboratory, originally named Solar Energy Research Institute was established at Golden, Colorado. In the 1980s and early 1990s, most photovoltaic modules were used in stand-alone power systems or powered consumer products such as watches, calculators and toys, but from around 1995, industry efforts have focused increasingly on developing grid-connected rooftop PV systems and power stations. By 1996, solar PV capacity in the US amounted to 77 megawatts–more than any other country in the world at the time. Then, Japan moved ahead.

Japan (1997–2004)

Japan took the lead as the world's largest producer of PV electricity, after the city of Kobe was hit by the Great Hanshin earthquake in 1995. Kobe experienced severe power outages in the aftermath of the earthquake, and PV systems were then considered as a temporary supplier of power during such events, as the disruption of the electric grid paralyzed the entire infrastructure, including gas stations that depended on electricity to pump gasoline. Moreover, in December of that same year, an accident occurred at the multibillion-dollar experimental Monju Nuclear Power Plant. A sodium leak caused a major fire and forced a shutdown (classified as INES 1). There was massive public outrage when it was revealed that the semigovernmental agency in charge of Monju had tried to cover up the extent of the accident and resulting damage.^[67][68] Japan remained world leader in photovoltaics until 2004, when its capacity amounted to 1,132 megawatts. Then, focus on PV deployment shifted to Europe.

Germany (2005–2014)

In 2005, Germany took the lead from Japan. With the introduction of the Renewable Energy Act in 2000, feed-in tariffs were adopted as a policy mechanism. This policy established that renewables have priority on the grid, and that a fixed price must be paid for the produced electricity over a 20-year period, providing a guaranteed return on investment irrespective of actual market prices. As a consequence, a high level of investment security lead to a soaring number of new photovoltaic installations that peaked in 2011, while investment costs in renewable technologies were brought down considerably. In 2016 Germany's installed PV capacity was over the 40 GW mark.

China (2015–present)

China surpassed Germany's capacity by the end of 2015, becoming the world's largest producer of photovoltaic power.^[69]China's rapid PV growth continued in 2016 – with 34.2 GW of solar photovoltaics installed.^[70] The quickly lowering feed in tariff rates at the end of 2015 motivated many developers to secure tariff rates before mid-year 2016 – as they were anticipating further cuts (correctly so). During the course of the year, China announced its goal of installing 100 GW during the next Chinese Five Year Economic Plan (2016–2020). China expected to spend ¥1 trillion ($145B) on solar construction^[71] during that period. Much of China's PV capacity was built in the relatively less populated west of the country whereas the main centres of power consumption were in the east (such as Shanghai and Beijing).^[72] Due to lack of adequate power transmission lines to carry the power from the solar power plants, China had to curtail its PV generated power.^[72][73][74]

History of market development

Prices and costs (1977–present)

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Type of cell or module	Price per Watt
Multi-Si Cell (>18.5%)	$0.103
Mono-Si Cell (>20.0%)	$0.126
High Efficiency Mono-Si Cell (>21.0%)	$0.157
Superior High Efficiency Mono-Si Cell (USD) (>21.5%)	$0.163
270W Multi-Si Module	$0.219
280W Multi-Si Module	$0.242
290W Mono-Si Module	$0.250
300W Mono-Si Module	$0.278
Source: EnergyTrend, price quotes, average prices, 31 October 2018 [75]

The average price per watt dropped drastically for solar cells in the decades leading up to 2017. While in 1977 prices for crystalline silicon cells were about $77 per watt, average spot prices in August 2018 were as low as $0.13 per watt or nearly 600 times less than forty years ago. Prices for thin-film solar cells and for c-Si solar panels were around $.60 per watt.^[76] Module and cell prices declined even further after 2014 (see price quotes in table).

This price trend was seen as evidence supporting Swanson's law (an observation similar to the famous Moore's Law) that states that the per-watt cost of solar cells and panels fall by 20 percent for every doubling of cumulative photovoltaic production.^[77] A 2015 study showed price/kWh dropping by 10% per year since 1980, and predicted that solar could contribute 20% of total electricity consumption by 2030.^[78]

In its 2014 edition of the Technology Roadmap: Solar Photovoltaic Energy report, the International Energy Agency (IEA) published prices for residential, commercial and utility-scale PV systems for eight major markets as of 2013 (see table below).^[21] However, DOE's SunShot Initiative report states lower prices than the IEA report, although both reports were published at the same time and referred to the same period. After 2014 prices fell further. For 2014, the SunShot Initiative modeled U.S. system prices to be in the range of $1.80 to $3.29 per watt.^[79] Other sources identified similar price ranges of $1.70 to $3.50 for the different market segments in the U.S.^[80] In the highly penetrated German market, prices for residential and small commercial rooftop systems of up to 100 kW declined to $1.36 per watt (€1.24/W) by the end of 2014.^[81] In 2015, Deutsche Bank estimated costs for small residential rooftop systems in the U.S. around $2.90 per watt. Costs for utility-scale systems in China and India were estimated as low as $1.00 per watt.^[13]:9 As of May 2017, a residential 5 kW-system in Australia cost on average about AU$1.25, or US$0.93 per watt.^[82]

Typical PV system prices in 2013 in selected countries (USD)

USD/W	Australia	China	France	Germany	Italy	Japan	United Kingdom	United States
Residential	1.8	1.5	4.1	2.4	2.8	4.2	2.8	4.91
Commercial	1.7	1.4	2.7	1.8	1.9	3.6	2.4	4.51
Utility-scale	2.0	1.4	2.2	1.4	1.5	2.9	1.9	3.31
Source: IEA – Technology Roadmap: Solar Photovoltaic Energy report, September 2014'[21]:15 1U.S figures are lower in DOE's Photovoltaic System Pricing Trends[79]

Technologies (1990–present)

There were significant advances in conventional crystalline silicon (c-Si) technology in the years leading up to 2017. The falling cost of the polysilicon since 2009, that followed after a period of severe shortage (see below) of silicon feedstock, pressure increased on manufacturers of commercial thin-film PV technologies, including amorphous thin-film silicon (a-Si), cadmium telluride (CdTe), and copper indium gallium diselenide (CIGS), lead to the bankruptcy of several thin-film companies that had once been highly touted.^[83] The sector faced price competition from Chinese crystalline silicon cell and module manufacturers, and some companies together with their patents were sold below cost.^[84]

In 2013 thin-film technologies accounted for about 9 percent of worldwide deployment, while 91 percent was held by crystalline silicon (mono-Si and multi-Si). With 5 percent of the overall market, CdTe held more than half of the thin-film market, leaving 2 percent to each CIGS and amorphous silicon.^[86]:24–25

• CIGS technology

Copper indium gallium selenide (CIGS) is the name of the semiconductor material on which the technology is based. One of the largest producers of CIGS photovoltaics in 2015 was the Japanese company Solar Frontier with a manufacturing capacity in the gigawatt-scale. Their CIS line technology included modules with conversion efficiencies of over 15%.^[87] The company profited from the booming Japanese market and attempted to expand its international business. However, several prominent manufacturers could not keep up with the advances in conventional crystalline silicon technology. The company Solyndra ceased all business activity and filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy in 2011, and Nanosolar, also a CIGS manufacturer, closed its doors in 2013. Although both companies produced CIGS solar cells, it has been pointed out, that the failure was not due to the technology but rather because of the companies themselves, using a flawed architecture, such as, for example, Solyndra's cylindrical substrates.^[88]

• CdTe technology

The U.S.-company First Solar, a leading manufacturer of CdTe, built several of the world's largest solar power stations, such as the Desert Sunlight Solar Farm and Topaz Solar Farm, both in the Californian desert with 550 MW capacity each, as well as the 102 MW_AC Nyngan Solar Plant in Australia (the largest PV power station in the Southern Hemisphere at the time) commissioned in mid-2015.^[89] The company was reported in 2013 to be successfully producing CdTe-panels with a steadily increasing efficiency and declining cost per watt.^[90]:18–19 CdTe was the lowest energy payback time of all mass-produced PV technologies, and could be as short as eight months in favorable locations.^[86]:31 The company Abound Solar, also a manufacturer of cadmium telluride modules, went bankrupt in 2012.^[91]

• a-Si technology

In 2012, ECD solar, once one of the world's leading manufacturer of amorphous silicon (a-Si) technology, filed for bankruptcy in Michigan, United States. Swiss OC Oerlikon divested its solar division that produced a-Si/μc-Si tandem cells to Tokyo Electron Limited.^[92][93] In 2014, the Japanese electronics and semiconductor company announced the closure of its micromorph technology development program.^[94] Other companies that left the amorphous silicon thin-film market include DuPont, BP, Flexcell, Inventux, Pramac, Schuco, Sencera, EPV Solar,^[95] NovaSolar (formerly OptiSolar)^[96] and Suntech Power that stopped manufacturing a-Si modules in 2010 to focus on crystalline silicon solar panels. In 2013, Suntech filed for bankruptcy in China.^[97][98]

Silicon shortage (2005–2008)

In the early 2000s, prices for polysilicon, the raw material for conventional solar cells, were as low as $30 per kilogram and silicon manufacturers had no incentive to expand production.

However, there was a severe silicon shortage in 2005, when governmental programmes caused a 75% increase in the deployment of solar PV in Europe. In addition, the demand for silicon from semiconductor manufacturers was growing. Since the amount of silicon needed for semiconductors makes up a much smaller portion of production costs, semiconductor manufacturers were able to outbid solar companies for the available silicon in the market.^[99]

Initially, the incumbent polysilicon producers were slow to respond to rising demand for solar
applications, because of their painful experience with over-investment in the past. Silicon prices sharply rose to about $80 per kilogram, and reached as much as $400/kg for long-term contracts and spot prices. In 2007, the constraints on silicon became so severe that the solar industry was forced to idle about a quarter of its cell and module manufacturing capacity—an estimated 777 MW of the then available production capacity. The shortage also provided silicon specialists with both the cash and an incentive to develop new technologies and several new producers entered the market. Early responses from the solar industry focused on improvements in the recycling of silicon. When this potential was exhausted, companies have been taking a harder look at alternatives to the conventional Siemens process.^[100]

As it takes about three years to build a new polysilicon plant, the shortage continued until 2008. Prices for conventional solar cells remained constant or even rose slightly during the period of silicon shortage from 2005 to 2008. This is notably seen as a "shoulder" that sticks out in the Swanson's PV-learning curve and it was feared that a prolonged shortage could delay solar power becoming competitive with conventional energy prices without subsidies.

In the meantime the solar industry lowered the number of grams-per-watt by reducing wafer thickness and kerf loss, increasing yields in each manufacturing step, reducing module loss, and raising panel efficiency. Finally, the ramp up of polysilicon production alleviated worldwide markets from the scarcity of silicon in 2009 and subsequently lead to an overcapacity with sharply declining prices in the photovoltaic industry for the following years.

Solar overcapacity (2009–2013)

As the polysilicon industry had started to build additional large production capacities during the shortage period, prices dropped as low as $15 per kilogram forcing some producers to suspend production or exit the sector. Prices for silicon stabilized around $20 per kilogram and the booming solar PV market helped to reduce the enormous global overcapacity from 2009 onwards. However, overcapacity in the PV industry continued to persist. In 2013, global record deployment of 38 GW (updated EPIA figure^[3]) was still much lower than China's annual production capacity of approximately 60 GW. Continued overcapacity was further reduced by significantly lowering solar module prices and, as a consequence, many manufacturers could no longer cover costs or remain competitive. As worldwide growth of PV deployment continued, the gap between overcapacity and global demand was expected in 2014 to close in the next few years.^[102]

IEA-PVPS published in 2014 historical data for the worldwide utilization of solar PV module production capacity that showed a slow return to normalization in manufacture in the years leading up to 2014. The utilization rate is the ratio of production capacities versus actual production output for a given year. A low of 49% was reached in 2007 and reflected the peak of the silicon shortage that idled a significant share of the module production capacity. As of 2013, the utilization rate had recovered somewhat and increased to 63%.^[101]:47

Anti-dumping duties (2012–present)

After anti-dumping petition were filed and investigations carried out,^[103] the United States imposed tariffs of 31 percent to 250 percent on solar products imported from China in 2012.^[104] A year later, the EU also imposed definitive anti-dumping and anti-subsidy measures on imports of solar panels from China at an average of 47.7 percent for a two-year time span.^[105]

Shortly thereafter, China, in turn, levied duties on U.S. polysilicon imports, the feedstock for the production of solar cells.^[106] In January 2014, the Chinese Ministry of Commerce set its anti-dumping tariff on U.S. polysilicon producers, such as Hemlock Semiconductor Corporation to 57%, while other major polysilicon producing companies, such as German Wacker Chemie and Korean OCI were much less affected.^[107] All this has caused much controversy between proponents and opponents and was subject of debate.

History of deployment

Deployment figures on a global, regional and nationwide scale are well documented since the early 1990s. While worldwide photovoltaic capacity grew continuously, deployment figures by country were much more dynamic, as they depended strongly on national policies. A number of organizations release comprehensive reports on PV deployment on a yearly basis. They include annual and cumulative deployed PV capacity, typically given in watt-peak, a break-down by markets, as well as in-depth analysis and forecasts about future trends.

Timeline of the largest PV power stations in the world

Year(a)	Name of PV power station	Country	Capacity MW
1982	Lugo	United States	1
1985	Carrisa Plain	United States	5.6
2005	Bavaria Solarpark (Mühlhausen)	Germany	6.3
2006	Erlasee Solar Park	Germany	11.4
2008	Olmedilla Photovoltaic Park	Spain	60
2010	Sarnia Photovoltaic Power Plant	Canada	97
2011	Huanghe Hydropower Golmud Solar Park	China	200
2012	Agua Caliente Solar Project	United States	290
2014	Topaz Solar Farm(b)	United States	550
2015	Longyangxia Dam Solar Park	China	850
2016	Tengger Desert Solar Park	China	1547
Also see list of photovoltaic power stations and list of noteworthy solar parks (a) year of final commissioning (b) capacity given in  MWAC otherwise in MWDC

Worldwide annual deployment

Due to the exponential nature of PV deployment, most of the overall capacity has been installed in the years leading up to 2017 (see pie-chart). Since the 1990s, each year has been a record-breaking year in terms of newly installed PV capacity, except for 2012. Contrary to some earlier predictions, early 2017 forecasts were that 85 gigawatts would be installed in 2017.^[109] Near end-of-year figures however raised estimates to 95 GW for 2017-installations.^[108]

Worldwide cumulative

Worldwide growth of solar PV capacity was an exponential curve between 1992 and 2017. Tables below show global cumulative nominal capacity by the end of each year in megawatts, and the year-to-year increase in percent. In 2014, global capacity was expected to grow by 33 percent from 139 to 185 GW. This corresponded to an exponential growth rate of 29 percent or about 2.4 years for current worldwide PV capacity to double. Exponential growth rate: P(t) = P₀e^rt, where P₀ is 139 GW, growth-rate r 0.29 (results in doubling time t of 2.4 years).

The following table contains data from multiple different sources. For 1992–1995: compiled figures of 16 main markets (see section All time PV installations by country), for 1996–1999: BP-Statistical Review of world energy (Historical Data Workbook)^[110] for 2000–2013: EPIA Global Outlook on Photovoltaics Report^[3]:17

1990s

Year	CapacityA MWp	Δ%B	Refs
1991	n.a.	–	C
1992	105	n.a.	C
1993	130	24%	C
1994	158	22%	C
1995	192	22%	C
1996	309	61%	[110]
1997	422	37%	[110]
1998	566	34%	[110]
1999	807	43%	[110]
2000	1,250	55%	[110]

2000s

Year	CapacityA MWp	Δ%B	Refs
2001	1,615	27%	[3]
2002	2,069	28%	[3]
2003	2,635	27%	[3]
2004	3,723	41%	[3]
2005	5,112	37%	[3]
2006	6,660	30%	[3]
2007	9,183	38%	[3]
2008	15,844	73%	[3]
2009	23,185	46%	[3]
2010	40,336	74%	[3]

2010s

Year	CapacityA MWp	Δ%B	Refs
2011	70,469	75%	[3]
2012	100,504	43%	[3]
2013	138,856	38%	[3]
2014	178,391	28%	[2]
2015	229,300	29%	[111]
2016	302,300	32%
2017	405,000	34%	[112]
2018
2019
2020

Deployment by country

See section Forecast for projected photovoltaic deployment in 2017

All time PV installations by country

Cumulative installed photovoltaic capacity (MW_p)

Country	1992	1993	1994	1995	1996	1997	1998	1999	2000	2001	2002	2003	2004	2005	2006	2007	2008	2009	2010	2011	2012	2013	2014	2015
Algeria																							30	300
Australia	7.3	8.9	10.7	12.7	15.9	18.7	22.5	25.3	29.2	33.6	39.1	45.6	52.3	60.6	70.3	82.5	105	188	571	1377	2415	3226	4136	5109
Austria	0.6	0.8	1.1	1.4	1.7	2.2	2.9	3.7	4.9	6.1	10.3	16.8	21.1	24.0	25.6	28.7	32.4	52.6	95.5	187	363	626	766	935
Belgium																23.7	108	649	1067	2088	2722	3009	3074	3228
Brazil																				5	D17	D32	F54
Bulgaria																		5.7	35	141	1010	1020	1020	1021
Canada	1.0	1.1	1.5	1.9	2.6	3.4	4.5	5.8	7.2	8.8	10.0	11.8	13.9	16.8	20.5	25.8	32.7	94.6	281	558	766	1211	1710	2579
Chile																				C<1	C2	3	368	848
China									19	23.5	42	52	62	70	80	100	140	300	800	3300	6800	19720	28199	43530
Croatia																					0.2	20	34	45
Cyprus																		3.3	6.2	9	17	32	65	70
Czech																		463.3	1952	1959	2087	2175	2134	2083
Denmark		0.1	0.1	0.1	0.2	0.4	0.5	1.1	1.5	1.5	1.6	1.9	2.3	2.7	2.9	3.1	3.2	4.6	7.1	16.7	408	563	603	783
Estonia																		0.05	0.08	0.2	0.2	0.2	0.1	4.1
Finland																			0.1	1	11	11	11.2	14.7
France	1.8	2.1	2.4	2.9	4.4	6.1	7.6	9.1	11.3	13.9	17.2	21.1	26.0	33.0	36.5	74.5	179	369	1204	2974	4090	4733	5660	6589
Germany	2.9	4.3	5.6	6.7	10.3	16.5	21.9	30.2	89.4	207	324	473	1139	2072	2918	4195	6153	9959	17372	24858	32462	35766	38200	39763
Greece																		55	205	624	1536	2579	2595	2613
Guatemala																						n/a	F+6
Honduras																						n/a	F+5	389
Hungary																		0.65	1.75	4	12	35	78	137
India																			161	461	1205	2320	2936	5050
Ireland																	0.4	0.6	0.7	0.7	0.9	1.0	1.1	2.1
Israel													0.9	1.0	1.3	1.8	3.0	24.5	69.9	190	237	481	731	886
Italy	8.5	12.1	14.1	15.8	16.0	16.7	17.7	18.5	19.0	20.0	22.0	26.0	30.7	37.5	50.0	120	458	1181	3502	12809	16454	18074	18460	18924
Japan	19.0	24.3	31.2	43.4	59.6	91.3	133	209	330	453	637	860	1132	1422	1709	1919	2144	2627	3618	4914	6632	13599	23300	34151
Latvia																			0	0.2	0.2	0.2	1.5	1.5
Lithuania																		0.07	0.2	0.3	6.2	68	68	73
Luxembourg																		26.4	27.3	30	A30	A30	A45	125
Malaysia															5.5	7.0	8.8	11.1	12.6	13.5	35	73	160	231
Malta																		1.53	1.67	12	16	23	54	73
Mexico	5.4	7.1	8.8	9.2	10.0	11.0	12.0	12.9	13.9	G13.9	G13.9	G13.9	G15.9	G16.9	G17.9	G18.9	G19.9	G24.9	G38.9	G29.9	G34.9	G65.9	G114.1	G170.1
Netherlands		0.1	0.1	0.3	0.7	1.0	1.0	5.3	8.5	16.2	21.7	39.7	43.4	45.4	47.5	48.6	52.8	63.9	84.7	143	I365	I739	I1048	I1405
Norway											B6.4	B6.6	B6.9	B7.3	B7.7	B8.0	B8.3	B8.7	B9.1	B9.5	B10	B11	13	15.3
Pakistan																						?	400	1000
Peru																				0	D22	n/a	n/a
Philippines																						?	33	155
Poland																		1.38	1.75	3	7	7	24	87
Portugal	0.2	0.2	0.3	0.3	0.4	0.5	0.6	0.9	1.1	1.3	1.7	2.0	2.0	2.0	4.0	15	56	99	135	169	228	281	391	460
Romania																		0.64	1.94	4	51	1151	1219	1325
Slovakia																		0.19	148	508	523	524	533	591
Slovenia																		9.0	35	81	201	212	256	257
South Africa																				1	30	122	922	1120
South Korea	1.5	1.6	1.7	1.8	2.1	2.5	3.0	3.5	4.0	4.7	10.0	11.0	13.8	19.2	41.8	87.2	363	530	656	735	1030	1475	2384	3493
Spain			1.0	1.0	1.0	1.0	1.0	2.0	2.0	4.0	7.0	12.0	23.0	48	145	693	H3421	H3438	H3859	H4322	H4603	H4766	H4872	H4921
Sweden	0.8	1.0	1.3	1.6	1.8	2.1	2.4	2.6	2.8	3.0	3.3	3.6	3.9	4.2	4.8	6.2	7.9	8.8	11	11	24	43	79	130
Switzerland	4.7	5.8	6.7	7.5	8.4	9.7	11.5	13.4	15.3	17.6	19.5	21.0	23.1	27.1	29.7	36.2	47.9	73.6	111	211	437	756	1076	1394
Taiwan																			32	102	206	376	776	1010
Thailand											2.9	4.2	10.8	23.9	30.5	32.5	33.4	43.2	49.2	243	388	824	1299	1420
Turkey							0.2	0.3	0.4	0.6	0.9	1.3	1.8	2.3	2.8	3.3	4.0	5.0	6	7	8.5	18	58	266
Ukraine																			3	191	326	616	819	432
UK	0.2	0.3	0.3	0.4	0.4	0.6	0.7	1.1	1.9	2.7	4.1	5.9	8.2	10.9	14.3	18.1	22.5	29.6	77	904	E1901	E3377	5104	8917
USA	43.5	50.3	57.8	66.8	76.5	88.2	100	117	139	168	212	275	376	479	624	831	1169	1256	2528	4383	7272	12079	18280	25600
References																	[114]	[115]	[116]	[117][118]	[119][120]	[3][101]	[4][121]	[5][122][123]
Year	1992	1993	1994	1995	1996	1997	1998	1999	2000	2001	2002	2003	2004	2005	2006	2007	2008	2009	2010	2011	2012	2013	2014	2015
Notes: ^A Strong discrepancy for Luxembourg: EPIA-figures report unchanged capacity of 30 MW for Y2011-2013 (source listed in row "References"), while Photovoltaic Barometer[124] reports a capacity of 76.7 MW for Y2012 and 100 MW for Y2013. Table displays EPIA figures. ^B Strong discrepancy for Norway: Figures based on BP-Statistical Review of world energy[110] and IEA-PVPS trend report|[101] as EIPA outlook report[3]:24 mentions virtually zero deployment (as 0.02 watt per capita results in 0.07 MW). ^C Different data source for Chile, figures based on reports[125] published by the Chilean Ministry of Energy—Centro de Energías Renovables (CER) and CORFO. Monthly reports revise figures retroactively. Distinction between solar PV and CSP is missing, however. ^D Figures for Brazil and Peru need to be checked, as sources are unclear. Peru's 22 MW reflects capacity of one solar farm opened in 2012[126][127] Historical data for these countries may be verifiable when new reports are released. ^E Displayed IEA-PVPS/EPIA figures for the United Kingdom differ significantly from those published by DECC.[128][129] ^F Only fragmented figures for all Central American and some Latin American countries available. Based on public figures from GTM's Latin America PV Playbook[130] ^G There's a strong discrepancy between the Trends 2014,[101] Trends 2015 and Trends 2016 report.[123] The cumulative capacity was revised downwards significantly for previous years in the 2016 report. ^H There's a discrepancy between Eur'Observ[121][131][132][118][133][134][122] data IEA[123] data where Eur'Observer reports about 10% less installed capacity. Eur'Observ data is used here. ^I There's a discrepancy between Eur'Observ and IEA. Eur'Observ data used here.

See also

• Growth of concentrated solar power (CSP)


• Solar power by country


• Timeline of solar cells


• List of renewable energy topics by country


• Wind power by country

Notes

References

External links

• IEA–International Energy Agency, Publications


• IEA–PVPS, IEA's Photovoltaic Power System Programme


• NREL–National Renewable Energy Laboratory, Publications


• FHI–ISE, Fraunhofer Institute for Solar Energy Systems


• APVI–Australian PV Institute


• EPIA–European Photovoltaic Industry Association


• SEIA–Solar Energy Industries Association


• CanSIA–Canadian Solar Industries Association


• 
  Presentation on YouTube – Cost analysis of current PV production, PV learning curve – UNSW, Pierre Verlinden, Trina Solar


• 
  Interview on YouTube – Michael Liebreich, "Cheapest Solar in World", about the record-low 5.84 US cents/kWh PPA in Dubai (2014)