The history of PV growth – Part 2: the evolution and development of the photovoltaic industry

After finding the effect photovoltaic In the 19th century, this technology began to develop rapidly, especially from the middle of the 20th century. In the first part of this article, we have talked about how the photovoltaic effect was discovered and how it paved the way for the development of solar cell technology. The second part of this article will examine how photovoltaic (PV) technology evolved from limited use to utility energy big in the world. We can see how progress in production is declining costand global adoption have turned PV into a major player in the global energy sector today.

In the 1980s, small, low-power solar cells began to be used in calculators and watches. The construction of solar farms for large facilities is also starting to appear. Prices continue to decrease as production increases in the United States. California is leading the way, followed by Germany and Japan who have also led large-scale photovoltaic adoption since the 1990s. National programs and NGOs often provide incentives for these photovoltaic installations, which make them more affordable. An increase in the supply of raw materials, such as silicon, in the mid-2000s, has led to a significant decline in manufacturing costs from the early 2000s to the present day.

Currently, the industry estimates about 300 gigawatts of photovoltaic panels installed at the beginning of 2017. Using the average amount of sunlight and external efficiency figures, this producing approximately 400 terawatt hours of solar electricity per year. Globally, we use about 21,000 terawatt hours of electrical energy, so this is only about 2% of total electricity production and use.

China, Japan and the United States are currently the market leaders in photovoltaic installations. Germany, which has been a leader in institutions, is beginning to lose ground as it approaches maximum capacity and economic affordability. Solar photovoltaics have nearly 10% of total electricity use in at least three a countrynamely Honduras, Italy and Greece. This is much higher than the global solar electricity usage, but these countries also have much smaller numbers compared to countries such as the United States, China and Japan.

Looking at several countries individually, we can see that China is the new leader in photovoltaic capacity. In 2015, approximately 45 gigawatts were installed, and in 2016, an additional 34.5 gigawatts were installed, almost doubling the total solar photovoltaic installations in just one year. Japan also added many centers to the current base in one year. However, Germany did not contribute much, as they were already ahead of the curve and started large centers 20 years ago. So, overall, China accounted for almost 50% of total new global capacity in 2016. This is very impressive.

Solar PV global capacity and annual performances, 2016-2016 – by REN21, 2017, Renewables Global Status Report 2017 (Paris: REN21 Secretariat)

The annual growth of photovoltaics has also grown significantly year after year since 2006, when we had less than 10 gigawatts, and is now more than 300 gigawatts. Solar is considered to be a growing industry today. Despite the global recession in 2009 to 2011, supply continued to increase both in terms of installations and capacity year after year. In addition, while most companies are losing employees, outsourcing is actually increasing the number of employees, and total establishments are increasing by more than 20% per year.

From a national perspective, if we look at the United States alone, capacity continues to increase every quarter. There are big changes in the fourth quarter of every year, with the biggest growth happening in the utilities sector. These are what we call solar farms, resource-based installations for large centralized power generation. Growth by state continues to show that California is level one year after year, and other states are starting to move up the map. For example, legislation and other financial metrics can lead to growth, and states can quickly jump to higher positions. For example, Minnesota, which was ranked 28th in 2015, rose to 14th and is now 4th in the first quarter of 2017.

So, what are the reasons for this growth? There are several reasons why individuals, as well as countries, increase their use of photovoltaics. One of them is a growing demand, with few traditional energy sources. One of the main reasons for the rise in China is their need for energy, but the inability to continue using fossil fuels due to the limited nature of these resources. In addition, there is the possibility of placing these photovoltaic facilities in remote areas that are not necessarily connected to the utility grid. Therefore, rural electrification, especially in developing and third world countries, is likely to promote the use of solar power over traditional fuels.

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