• Useful Facts
    • Worldwide photovoltaic installations increased by 7.3 GW in 2009, up from 6,080 MW installed during the previous year. In 1985, annual solar installation demand was only 21 MW.
    • Cumulative solar energy production accounts for less than 0.01% of total Global Primary Energy demand.
    • Solar Energy demand has grown at about 30% per annum over the past 15 years (hydrocarbon energy demand typically grows between 0-2% per annum).
    • The US market grew to 485 megawatts in 2009. Japan's market is now the fourth largest market. Spain has been the largest market in 2008.
    • The "Feed-in Law" has led to Germany to become the largest market for installations in the world in 2009.
    • Photovoltaic Manufactured Solar Cells
    • In megawatt terms, cell production in China and Taiwan reached 3,304 MW in 2008, with Europe at 1,729 MW ahead of Japanese production at 1,172 MW in 2008.
    • Solar Energy Prices
    • Solar Energy (photovoltaic) prices have declined on average 4% per annum over the past 15 years. Progressive increase in conversion efficiencies and manufacturing economies of scale are the underlying drivers.
    • A residential solar energy system typically costs about $8-10 per Watt. Where government incentive programs exist, together with lower prices secured through volume purchases, installed costs as low as $3-4 watt - or some 10-12 cents per kilowatt hour can be achieved. Without incentive programs, solar energy costs (in an average sunny climate) range between 22-40 cents/kWh for very large PV systems.
    • Did you know that solar energy is dependent upon nuclear power? Solar Energy's nuclear power plant, though, is 93 million miles away.
    • An average crystalline silicon cell solar module has an efficiency of 15%, an average thin film cell solar module has an efficiency of 6%. Thin film manufacturing costs potentially are lower, though.
    • A Megawatt is 1,000,000 Watts; a Gigawatt is 1000 Megawatts.
    • The earth receives more energy from the sun in just one hour than the world uses in a whole year.
    • Two billion people in the world have no access to electricity. For most of them, solar photovoltaics would be their cheapest electricity source, but they cannot afford it.
    • Crystalline Silicon cell technology forms about 90% of solar cell demand. The balance comes from thin film technologies.
    • Approximately 45% of the cost of a silicon cell solar module is driven by the cost of the silicon wafer, a further 35% is driven by the materials required to assemble the solar module.