News Article
EPIC Releases Photovoltaic Industry Report
Continued growth predicted
EPIC, the European Photonics Industry Consortium is pleased to announce the release of its report on the photovoltaic market, including production, deployment and R&D investment. Worldwide sales of photovoltaic panels reached $US 82 billion in 2010, Electrical generation capacity installed was 17.8 Gigawatts. EPIC data show that installations grew by 137% compared to 2009.
Installed photovoltaic generation capacity worldwide as of 2010. Germany now accounts for 43% of the total cumulative PV installations in the world.
In Europe, 57.6 Gwatts of electrical generation capacity from all sources were installed in 2010. For the first time ever, more PV generating power was installed in Europe than any other renewable energy source. PV at 14.7 Gwatts out-paced wind installations by nearly 60%. By 2010 the cumulative installed PV generating base world-wide reached 40 Gwatts. More than 57 Gwatts of new electrical energy installations were completed in Europe in 2010. Gas-fired generation was the leading product. Renewables account for 45% of the total mix. In terms of production, 15% more wattage of PV cells was manufactured than generating capacity installed (20.5 Gwatts compared to 17.8 Gwatts). Together, China and Taiwan now account for about 45% of world supply.
