Germanys top place in the ranking is not surprising given its Energiewende focus to transition away from fossil fuels & its declared war on coal.

Germany & China Lead in Solar Installed Capacities

Contributed by | Demnag

 

Our analysis of the top 10 solar countries who have installed the most solar capacity shows Germany leads the pack with 38,200 MW in installed capacity. China comes in the second place with 28,199 MWs & Japan at third place with 23,300MW

 


 

Country

Solar Power Installed MW (2014)

Solar Power Installed Growth 2013 to 2014

Germany

38200

5.2%

China

28199

59.9%

Japan

23300

71.3%

Italy

18460

2.1%

US

18280

51.3%

Rest of World

6488

18.9%

France

5660

19.6%

Spain

5358

0.5%

United Kingdom

5228

88.1%

Australia

4136

28.2%

 

Germany’s top place in the ranking is not surprising given its Energiewende focus to transition away from fossil fuels & its declared war on coal. Here is The Economist’s take on Energiewende:

“Wholesale electricity prices will be 70% higher by 2025, predicts the Karlsruhe Institute of Technology. Germany must build or upgrade 8,300km (5,157 miles) of transmission lines (not including connections to offshore wind farms). Intermittent wind and sun power creates a need for backup generators, while playing havoc with business models that justify investing in them. Hans-Peter Keitel, president of the Federation of German Industry, likens the Energiewende to “open-heart surgery”. But if it pays off Germany will have created yet another world-beating industry, say the gamblers. Alone among rich countries Germany has “the means and will to achieve a staggering transformation of the energy infrastructure”, says Mark Lewis, an analyst at Deutsche Bank.”

While Germany ranks the highest in installed capacity, China has a much higher growth rate 60% & that too with a high base of nearly 28,000 MW. In China too, the government has given solar a high priority in reducing pollution. Analysts believe that China’s recent announcement of the Cap & Trade policy will encourage a boom in solar power generation infrastructure. This will turn kick of another race to move to solar by other countries such as India.  

 

 

About Demnag
Demnag analyses the numbers behind optimal decision making to help consumers & organizations make better choices.

 
The content & opinions in this article are the author’s and do not necessarily represent the views of AltEnergyMag

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