A new data presented by the European Photovoltaic Industry Association (EPIA) says the world has added at least 37 GW of new PV capacity in 2013.
The global PV cumulative installed capacity increased 35 percent compared to the previous year to touch an impressive 136 .7GW at the end of last year, EPIA said.
However, Europe has lost its lead in the PV market in 2013. While Europe contributed more than 70 percent of the world’s new PV installations in 2011 and 59 percent a year later, it accounted for only 28 percent (10 GW) of the world’s market in 2013.
On the other hand, Asian market has been highly dynamic led by China and Japan, contributing around 11.3 GW and 6.9 GW respectively. Asia-Pacific represented 57 percent of last year’s global market.
China is experiencing robust and sustained growth which will enable the country to remain the No.1 market in the coming years, the report said. This trend is likely to continue, EPIA said.
Italy experienced 70 percent decrease compared to the year before, while Germany, which was previously the No.1 solar market in the world, experienced a steep decrease (57 percent) in 2013, compared to 2012.
The slowdown in European market is primarily attributed to harsh support reduction, retrospective measures and unplanned changes to regulatory framework that affected investor confidence. This is especially true in the case of Italy and Germany, the research said.
“Despite qualified 2013 results, solar photovoltaics remains on the way to becoming a major source of energy for Europe. Last year, PV was the second new source of electricity generation installed on the continent, covering as much as 3 percent of Europe’s electricity needs,” said Winfried Hoffmann, EPIA president. “
“Only with coherent, dynamic, stable and predictable support policies can Europe regain a leading position in the energy revolution and further develop PV markets. In view of that, a truly ambitious climate and energy policy framework for 2030, that would include a meaningful and binding target for renewables, is absolutely crucial,” Hoffmann added.