Trends in Photovoltaic Applications

More than one Giga Watt installed in 2005

This past summer, the International Energy Agency (IEA) published its  Trends in Photovoltaic Applications report. It is the result of a survey conducted in 18 selected countries for the period between 1992 and 2005, within the framework of the Photovoltaic Power Systems Programme (PVSP).

The report shows the following main trends:

• The installed power in the selected countries showed a continuous and increasing growth between 1992 and 2005.
• In 2005, for the first time more than one Giga Watt was added to the installed power. This is a first step in a shift from Mega Watts to Giga Watts (see blog post ‘PV production must be accelerated now’).
• Grid-connected systems in Japan and Germany were responsible for about 85% of this growth in 2005.
• The public budgets for market stimulation vary widely between countries. In 2005, the total annual public expenditure was around 1 billion US dollars.
• While 94% of the installed PV modules contained crystalline silicon cells, the share of other technologies (e.g. thin film) is growing.
• After several years of decreasing prices, the average price of PV modules showed a small increase in 2005. This increase was strongest in Europe, while in some other countries the price was stable or decreased.