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European solar down 20% in 2016
European countries are lagging in solar power installations compared to other regions, according to the European solar association, SolarPower Europe, which reports a 20% reduction in 2016 installations compared to the 8.6 GW of solar power that was grid-connected in 2015.
In total, European countries installed around 6.9 GW of solar power capacity in 2016. In the same period, the global on-grid solar power market grew by about 49%, with 76 GW installed in 2016, from around 51 GW in 2015.
China was the world’s largest solar market in 2016, adding 34 GW – over 125% more than in 2015, followed by the US with estimated solar power additions of 14 GW – up from 7.3 GW in 2015. Japan came in third, reaching around 8.6 GW, ahead of India with 4.5 GW.
Increase in demand for solar across many areas comes after the first solar power purchase agreements were signed in 2016 that made solar the cheapest power source in many regions of the world.
News Item details
Journal title: Energy World
Subjects: Banking, finance and investment, Electricity markets, Electricity generation, Solar energy, Energy consumption, Solar power
