IEA PVPS Report: A Snapshot of Global Photovoltaic Markets 2019

The 7th edition of the report "Snapshot of Global Photovoltaic Markets" provides estimated data about photovoltaic (PV) capacity in the countries reporting to the IEA PVPS Programme and additional key markets and it serves as a preliminary assessment prior to the 24th edition of the PVPS flagship report “Trends in PV Applications”.

Preliminary market numbers show that the PV market probably stabilized in 2018. In total, about 97,9 GW of PV capacity were installed in the IEA PVPS countries and in other major markets during 2018, and up to 99,8 GW in total (compared to 98,9 GW in 2017). The total installed capacity in the IEA PVPS countries and key markets has crossed the 500 GW mark in 2018, or half a TW. These are the main outcomes of the latest IEA PVPS “Snapshot of Global Photovoltaic Market 2018” report, published on 15 April 2019.

While the Chinese PV market experienced a limited decline in 2018 to 45 GW, it was compensated with larger installation volumes in several emerging and established markets. Amongst the growing markets, India can be cited, with 10,8 GW, Australia, that increased spectacularly in 2018, with close to 3,8 GW, Mexico follows with close to 2,7 GW, then Korea with 2,0 GW, followed by a declining Turkish market, above 1,6 GW. The Middle East and African markets experienced growth as well, however a large part of this will be visible in 2019 when most plants will be commissioned, especially in the UAE and Egypt. In the meantime, the US and Japanese market where roughly stable, while Europe grew. The European market rebirth was mainly driven by the significant growth in Germany and the Netherlands, while growth was visible in many countries.

In summary, the global PV market outside of China grew by 9 GW to 55 GW while the decline in China drove the global numbers up to at least 99,8 G