Environment & Energy
Related: About this forumWorld Solar PV Capacity Surpasses 100 Gigawatts In 2012
February 12, 2013
Cynthia Shahan
This bright news below brings the message that people are changing, things are changing. From a statement released in Brussels yesterday we find that the worlds cumulative solar photovoltaic (PV) electricity capacity surpassed 100 gigawatts (GW) in 2012, achieving just over 101 GW. This is according to new market figures from the European Photovoltaic Industry Association (EPIA). A landmark year, EPIA called it. Indeed!
Wonderful to find that its not just speeches and pleas for change, that there is change in the works. The sun is the source of energy the world is harnessing without depletion or toxicity to a greater and greater extent. And 2012 was another strong year for the solar industry (following a very strong in in 2011). More than 30 GW of PV were connected to the electricity grid in 2012, EPIA added. And there was a sort of balancing out in where that solar power was installed. Non-European markets increased their installations and accounted for more than 13 GW of the worldwide total.
Harnessing the Power of the Sun
This global capacity to harness the power of the sun produces as much electricity energy in a year as 16 coal power plants or nuclear reactors of 1 GW each. Each year, the worlds PV installations reduce CO2 emissions by 53 million tons, EPIA wrote.
The surpassing of the 100-GW mark occurred in yet another year of strong global PV development, with an estimated 30 GW connected to the grid and made operational in 2012 roughly the same as the record-setting level of 2011. These results are preliminary, and the 30 GW figure could be increased by an additional 1 or 2 GW when final numbers come in. Final results for the year will be published in May, in EPIAs annual Global Market Outlook for Photovoltaics 2013-2017.
Clean Technica (http://s.tt/1zG16)
Read more at http://cleantechnica.com/2013/02/12/world-solar-pv-capacity-surpasses-100-gigawatts-in-2012/#uVvTSX1zjAtcI7yJ.99
rightsideout
(978 posts)1000 may be an optimistic goal.
We added 5.8 kWs in 2012. Every little bit helps.
FBaggins
(26,732 posts)I haven't found anything yet.
FBaggins
(26,732 posts)CLEANTECHNICA - French solar energy generation in 2012 saw some big gains. According to the 2012 French Electricity Report, 4 terrawatt hours (Twh) of solar energy came from photovoltaic systems, making up for 0.79% of Frances energy demand last year.
Meanwhile 1.022 gigawatts (GW) of solar energy was installed, boosting the overall solar capacity to 3.5 GW.
http://cleantechnica.com/2013/02/11/french-solar-power-generation-advances-by-67-in-2012/
Animal Chin
(175 posts)...sorry!
RickFromMN
(478 posts)When the wind isn't blowing or the sun isn't shining, we can tap power stored in hydro storage.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pumped-storage_hydroelectricity
kristopher
(29,798 posts)The part most people don't pick up on properly is the fact that the system is the sum of the parts. They tend to look at the way the parts function and then imagine that entire system is generally the same.
This study took a detailed look at the resources in a large region of the US and matched the recorded sun/wind data over 4 years with the power production profiles of wind and solar technologies. The results are interesting. It is published in an open access journal so you can read the entire thing.
Cost-minimized combinations of wind power, solar power and electrochemical storage, powering the grid up to 99.9% of the time
Open Access Article
http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0378775312014759