IEA PVPS published its new IEA PVPS “Snapshot of Global PV in 1992-2012” report on Monday 8 April as a preliminary to its Trends Report that will follow in September 2013. According to the Snapshot report, at least 96.5GW of PV are now installed worldwide with stabilization of the market in 2012 and significant market growth in Asia.
Of the total global capacity, 28.4GW were installed in the IEA PVPS countries and other major markets in 2012 raising the total installed capacity in IEA PVPS countries close to 89.5 GW with another estimated 7 GW of capacity installed in other major countries. Europe represents 59 percent of the global market but 2012 saw rapid growth in the Asia Pacific region and the Americas. The Middle East and Africa markets are still in development. China’s PV market has meanwhile progressed so quickly that it represented the second largest market in 2012, ahead of both Italy and the USA.
In Europe, PV is the first source of electricity installed ahead of wind and gas and of all other sources from coal to nuclear. In several countries the annual PV contribution to electricity demand has passed the 1 percent mark with Italy at the top at 5.75 percent and the overall European PV contribution amounting to around 2.5 percent of European electricity demand. Australia has also passed the 1 percent mark larger consumers such as Japan, China or the US will require more PV capacity to reach this threshold.
PV has become a major source of electricity extremely rapidly in countries all over the world, mostly a result of its ability to cover numerous market segments from very small individual systems to utility-size power plants.
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