Solar Energy- Promising Development

Solar energy is as yet largely an energy source for industrialized countries. In Europe and North America, there are more and more solar power plants that recover heat from the sun. Photovoltaics, thermal collectors, and concentrated solar power plants are the three production processes currently in use.

Strong Photovoltaic Growth in Europe

Photovoltaics have grown spectacularly in developed countries. Between 2005 and 2008, the average increase in installed capacity was 220% among member countries of the International Energy Agency (IEA) program dedicated to developing photovoltaic energy.

Germany Driving Solar Thermal Power in Europe

In 2008, solar thermal energy production in Europe grew by 60% with an additional 3.3 GWth (gigawatt thermal, the measurement for thermal power production) installed capacity. The German market is by far the largest and fastest-growing.

[1] Source: International Energy Agency: http://www.iea-pvps.org/fileadmin/dam/public/report/statistics/tr_2009_neu.pdf
[2] Estif (European solar thermal industry federation, which represents 95% of all market stakeholders): http://www.estif.org/fileadmin/estif/content/market_data/downloads/2008%20Solar_Thermal_Markets_in_Europe_2008.pdf