14 DAY TRIAL // A new report shared with the public by the European Photovoltaic Industry Association says that last year was a record-breaking one for photovoltaic installations.
More precisely, the Association claims that, according to recent figures, the world added 37 gigawatts – maybe even more – of new photovoltaic solar capacity in 2013.
Of this added clean energy capacity, most came from China. Specifically, this country is said to have installed 11.3 gigawatts worth of new photovoltaic solar capacity in said year.
Japan and the United States, on the other hand, are estimated to have set in place 6.9 gigawatts and 4.8 gigawatts, respectively, Clean Technica reports.
Apparently, in 2013, Europe failed to be as solar-energy-friendly as some would have liked it to be.
Thus, specialists working with the Photovoltaic Industry Association say that Germany only installed 3.3 gigawatts of new solar capacity, whereas France settled for 613 megawatts.
Given the fact that, back in 2012, these two countries installed 7.6 gigawatts and 1.1 gigawatts, respectively, the figures documented for the year 2013 hardly seem all that impressive.
Still, it would appear that, last year, there were several countries in Europe that upped their dependence on said clean energy source to a considerable extent.
These countries are Greece, Italy, the United Kingdom, and Romania, which added 1.04 gigawatts, 1.1-1.4 gigawatts, 1-1.2 gigawatts, and 1.1 gigawatts, respectively.
In light of these figures, specialists claim that, in 2013, Europe pretty much failed to be the No. 1 region for new photovoltaic installations, and that dynamic Asian markets, led by China and Japan, stepped up to assume this position.
Still, Winfried Hoffmann, the Association's current president, wished to stress the fact that, “Despite our preliminary 2013 results, solar photovoltaics remains on the way to becoming a major source of energy for Europe and the world.”
“Only with coherent, dynamic, stable and predictable support policies can Europe regain a leading position in the energy revolution and further develop PV markets.”
“In view of that, a truly ambitious climate and energy policy framework for 2030, that would include a meaningful and binding renewables target for each individual Member State, is absolutely crucial,” he added.
All in all, the photovoltaic cumulative installed capacity sat at approximately 136.7 gigawatts at the end of 2013. When the previous year is taken into consideration, this represents an increase of 35%, the European Photovoltaic Industry Association says.
If a recent NPD Solarbuzz report is right, the global solar power industry will continue to grow this year, and by the end of 2014, another 49 gigawatts worth of new photovoltaic solar installations will be added worldwide.