Where is solar energy found?

Global market growth of solar PV cells has averaged over 25 per cent annually over the last decade as research and production advances. However, this rapid growth has started from a small base. Solar PV cells still account for a small percentage of the world’s electricity generation.

In 2004, world production of solar cells increased to 1,256 megawatts, or enough to power 1.2 million North American homes. This was a 67 per cent increase over the 750 megawatts produced in 2003.

In developed countries, demand for PV cells is being driven by a variety of converging forces including technological advances, energy security, energy deregulation and public demand for clean alternative energy sources. Aggressive government programs in some industrial countries have helped to dramatically increase the PV cell market that provides additional power to electricity grids. Most of these on-grid applications are examples of “distributed” energy — that is, installing solar cells at their point of use in residential and commercial buildings.

The largest on-grid market to date for PV systems has been in Japan, where demand has been stimulated by large government funding programs, subsidizing the cost of PV home installations for individuals. In 2004, Japanese manufacturers produced about 48 per cent of the world’s global PV cell output. In the same year, 267 megawatts of on-grid PV cells were installed in Japan.

The United States is the world’s third largest producer of solar cells (behind Japan and Germany), with an output of 138 megawatts in 2004. But most of this production is exported. In 2004, at least 175 megawatts of grid-connected PV cell systems were in use in the United States.

World PV cell/module production in megawatts
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