According to SolarPower Europe, the world will install 239 GW of new solar capacity in 2022. The rooftop solar segment accounted for 49.5% of the additions – the highest share in the past three years. Roof sectors in Brazil grew by 193%, in Italy by 127% and in Spain by 105%.
It said the world would install 239 GW of new solar capacity in 2022, representing a 45% annual increase – the highest year since 2016. It was another record year for solar, led again by China, with nearly 100 GW added in one go. year and an increase of 72 percent. The US remained in second place despite a 6.9% drop in installations to 21.9 GW, followed by India at 17.4 GW and Brazil at 10.9 GW. Spain is also becoming the largest solar market in Europe with 8.4 GW according to SolarPower Europe. The numbers differ slightly from other research companies. For example, BloombergNEF said global capacity additions will reach 268 GW in 2022.
In total, 26 countries added more than 1 GW of solar power in 2022. These countries include China, the United States, India, Brazil, Spain, Germany, Japan, Poland, the Netherlands, Australia, South Korea, Italy, France, Taiwan and Chile, Denmark, Turkey , Greece, South Africa, Austria, Great Britain, Mexico, Hungary, Pakistan, Israel and Switzerland.
The rooftop segment grew by 50% last year, with installations rising to 118 GW from 79 GW in 2021. Solar grew 41% to 121 GW despite high module prices in 2021 and 2022.
“Large systems remained the main factor in total capacity, but the shares of electricity and rooftop solar energy have not been this close to each other in three years; a utilization rate of 50.5% of all installations and a rooftop share of 49.5%,” said SolarPower Europe.
“The most impressive development was seen in Brazil, which added 5.3 GW. This gigantic 193% increase from 2021 was due to the rush of utilities trying to benefit (cheaply) from the generous terms of the net metering system before the rule changes in 2023,” said SolarPower Europe.
In Italy and Spain, the roofing market grew by 127% and in Spain by 105%, due to residential construction in Italy and private consumption in Spain. In Denmark, India, Austria, China, Greece and South Africa, the growth of roofs was more than 50%. China was the market leader with 51.1 GW of systems installed, accounting for 54 percent of its total installations in 2022.
SolarPower Europe predicts the rooftop segment to grow by 35% in 2023 and add 159 GW. Under the medium scenario, the figure could rise to 183 GW by 2024 and potentially 268 GW by 2027. The growth is more even compared to 2022, because it is driven by the return of energy prices to a lower level.
Globally, the power generation segment is expected to reach 182 GW in 2023, representing a 51% increase over the previous year. 218 GW is forecast for 2024, with further growth projected to reach 349 GW by 2027.
“The forecast is bright – between 341 and 402 GW of solar will be installed globally in 2023. From the current TW solar base, the world could install 1 TW of solar per year by the end of the decade – up to 800 GW per year as early as 2027,” SolarPower Europe stated.
