Photovoltaics are gaining ground across Europe

Published on: August 20, 2020 / Updated on: October 12, 2021 – Author: Konrad Wolfenstein

Photovoltaics and electromobility worldwide – Image: m.mphoto|Shutterstock.com

That solar energy is booming not only in Germany is evident from a look at Europe. According to the industry association Solarpower Europe, photovoltaic systems with a capacity of around 16.7 gigawatts (GW) were newly installed there last year. Compared to 2018, this represents an increase of a remarkable 104 percent.

The association's figures also show that sun-drenched Spain was the leader with 4.7 GW of installed capacity. Germany follows closely behind, having achieved a remarkable 4.0 GW in 2019. Both countries have very ambitious goals. Spain aims to increase the share of renewable energy in its electricity generation to 74 percent by 2030, while Germany is targeting 65 percent.

Walburga Hemetsberger, CEO of SolarPower Europe, commented: “Solar energy is flourishing in the European Union. We have entered a new era of solar growth, with more new solar capacity installed in 2019 than any other electricity generation technology. This installation boom shows that solar energy in Europe is on the right track, and with bold climate leadership from the new Commission, solar energy can help make the European Green Deal a reality.”.

Photovoltaics are on the rise across Europe – ©SolarPower Europe: 2019

Aurélie Beauvais, Policy Director of SolarPower Europe, added: “There are several reasons that explain the growth of solar energy in Europe. Primarily, the increased demand can be attributed to the cost competitiveness of solar energy – it is often the cheapest source of electricity generation – as well as the approaching deadline by which Member States must meet their binding national renewable energy targets for 2020. EU countries have also begun preparing for their journey towards complying with the Commission’s Clean Energy Package, which sets a target of 32% renewable energy by 2030, with many national governments increasingly relying on cost-effective solar installations to achieve their goals.”.

In 2019, Spain was the largest solar market in Europe, with 4.7 GW of new capacity installed. Spain had not reached this level since 2008. The most important solar markets for 2019 were Germany (4 GW), the Netherlands (2.5 GW), France (1.1 GW), and Poland, which almost quadrupled its installed capacity to 784 MW. This trend of increasing solar installations was observed across the EU: 26 of the 28 member states installed more solar capacity in 2019 than in the previous year. By the end of 2019, the EU will have a total of 131.9 GW, representing a 14% increase compared to the previous year's 115.2 GW.

Michael Schmela, Executive Advisor and Head of Market Intelligence at SolarPower Europe, said: “With solar energy being the most popular and versatile energy source among EU citizens and prices continuing to fall, we are only at the beginning of a long upward trend for solar energy in Europe. Looking at medium-term projections, we expect continued growth in the EU, with a 26% increase in 2020, pushing demand to 21 GW, and installations on track to reach 21.9 GW in 2021. The record year is expected to be 2022, with an all-time high of 24.3 GW of installed capacity, followed again by 2023 with 26.8 GW of newly installed solar capacity. The coming years are truly phenomenal for solar development in Europe.”.