The progress in the installation of solar panels has been tremendous. The technology industry, the energy industry and individuals are seeing an increase in solar panel installations. In the case of individuals, very low prices thanks to overproduction in China are supporting the installation of photovoltaic self-consumption systems.
If we talk about the energy industry, this year we have seen that the shift in favor of renewable energy had occurred and that even an oil giant like the state of Texas was switching to solar energy. This is yet another sign that shows that solar energy is the future. To understand this, just look and compare with 20 years ago.
Talking today about a capacity of 77 megawatts is ridiculous, but in 1996 the United States led the photovoltaic sector with this capacity. Then they passed the baton to Japan with its 1,132 megawatts and, little by little, Europe took the reins. Until China arrived, of course. Global capacity in 2004 is estimated at 3.4 GW (gigawatts), up from 2.4 GW the previous year. That is, it took a whole year to install 1 more GW.
Today this figure is anecdotal, since we install 1 gigawatt per day. To put the situation in perspective, the last place in the ranking of the 31 largest solar energy markets (Bulgaria), alone, installed 1.2 GW in 2023. The global total was estimated at 447 GW last year. In fact, according to data from Solar Power Europe, the jump in recent years has been considerable:
2020: 139 GW.
2021: 164 GW, 18% more.
2022: 239 GW, 46% more.
2023: 447 GW, 87% more.
China is a special case: of the 447 GW in 2023, it alone had more than half. China’s 253 GW was a figure greater than that added by all countries in 2022. Brazil came in third place, almost tied with Germany, but far behind the United States. The top 10 (representing 80% of the total) of solar energy installations was as follows:
China: 253 GW
United States: 32.4 GW
Brazil: 15.4 GW
Germany: 15.0 GW
India 12.5 GW
Spain 8.9 GW
Japan 6.2 GW
Italy: 5.2 GW
Australia: 5.1 GW
Netherlands: 4.9 GW
In addition to what the large energy companies and the efforts of countries like China or India contribute, we must talk about the technology industry. Here we must especially mention the United States of America, where solar energy is expected to surpass natural gas in new installations this year.
- Top 10 Solar Markets in 2023
| Country | 2023 Installations | |
| China | 253 GW | |
| United States | 32.4 GW | |
| Brazil | 15.4 GW | |
| Germany | 15.0 GW | |
| India | 12.5 GW | |
| Spain | 8.9 GW | |
| Japan | 6.2 GW | |
| Italy | 5.2 GW | |
| Australia | 5.1 GW | |
| Netherlands | 4.9 GW |
- **31 GW-scale markets in 2023
| Country | 2023 Installations | |
| China | 253 GW | |
| United States | 32.4 GW | |
| Brazil | 15.4 GW | |
| Germany | 15.0 GW | |
| India | 12.5 GW | |
| Spain | 8.9 GW | |
| Japan | 6.2 GW | |
| Italy | 5.2 GW | |
| Australia | 5.1 GW | |
| Netherlands | 4.9 GW | |
| Poland | 4.6 GW | |
| South Africa | 3.2 GW | |
| France | 3.2 GW | |
| United Arab Emirates | 3.1 GW | |
| South Korea | 3.0 GW | |
| Turkey | 2.7 GW | |
| Taiwan | 2.7 GW | |
| Austria | 2.7 GW | |
| Sweden | 2.0 GW | |
| Saudi Arabia | 1.9 GW | |
| Belgium | 1.9 GW | |
| United Kingdom | 1.8 GW | |
| Chile | 1.6 GW | |
| Mexico | 1.7 GW | |
| Greece | 1.6 GW | |
| Hungary | 1.6 GW | |
| Switzerland | 1.5 GW | |
| Portugal | 1.5 GW | |
| Romania | 1.5 GW | |
| Pakistan | 1.3 GW | |
| Bulgaria | 1.2 GW |
Please note that these numbers are based on SolarPower Europe modelling, which are based on a number of different sources.
In addition, it is where the big technology companies are with huge data centers and servers. The facilities of companies such as Google, Amazon or Microsoft require a large amount of energy and look for renewable energy because they are profitable due to the drop in price of both panels and batteries.
The United States Department of Energy projects that solar energy will represent 58% of the new electricity generation installed in the country in 2024, with a forecast of 36 GW. And it seems that the development of AI (which consumes a lot of electricity) has a lot to do with it. Google alone has been responsible for 40% of the demand for large-scale solar projects in the United States over the past five years and is expanding through demand for solar energy outside the United States.
Of these gigawatts per day that we are installing, it is estimated that China contributes at least half. The country recently inaugurated a plant with a capacity of 3.5 GW and an area of ??133 km².
China’s problem is that the photovoltaic industry, the same one that drove prices down, is in trouble. They managed to conquer the market by selling at a loss and there are already large manufacturers asking for government bailouts.
The 2030 goal must be achieved much sooner
One of the objectives of solar energy is decarbonization and the emission of less CO2 into the atmosphere. To achieve this, the International Energy Agency had targets of 633 GW per year by 2030, but with an estimate of between 500 and 600 GW by 2024, the target could be reached prematurely. And the trend is for it to go up more and more.
