Global cumulative installed solar PV capacity 2000-2020

Global cumulative solar photovoltaic capacity has grown continuously since 2000. In 2020, global cumulative solar PV capacity amounted to 773.2 gigawatts, with 138 gigawatts of new PV capacity installed in that same year.

Solar photovoltaic market

The growth in the solar PV use represents a shift of global markets towards renewable and distributed energy technologies. As of 2019, China and the United States led the global PV market, with 204 and 76 gigawatts of cumulative solar PV capacity, respectively. However, Italy and Germany are the countries with the highest shares of electricity consumption covered by photovoltaic power.

Solar cells

Solar energy systems include solar photovoltaic panels, inverters, racking, and battery storages. Further, photovoltaic panels have different layers, including polysilicon, wafers, and solar cells. The technology and chemical elements used, as well as efficiency in converting sun energy into electricity in each different type of solar cell differ from one photovoltaic panel to another. First generation PV panels were made from mono-crystalline silicon and multi-crystalline silicon cells, followed by thin-film based solar cells (CdTe and CIGS) in the second generation. The third generation PV panels aim to combine high efficiency, greater life cycle, and thinner layers.