Solar Industry Boom!!! Green Energy is Alive and Well!!!

Solar Energy Demand (click here to try our Solar Industry statistics section)
Worldwide photovoltaic installations increased by 1,744 MW in 2006, up from 1,460 MW installed during the previous year. In 1985, annual solar installation demand was only 21 Megawatts.
For comparison purposes, total worldwide wind energy installations in 2000 were around 4000 Megawatts, growing at about 35% pa.
Cumulative solar energy production accounts for less than 0.01% of total Global Primary Energy demand.
Solar Energy demand has grown at about 25% per annum over the past 15 years (hydrocarbon energy demand typically grows between 0-2% per annum).
The US market showed 33% growth in 2006. Japan's market reached 300 MW, a marginal increase from 2005.
The "Feed-in Law" in Germany permits most customer applications to receive 45.7 euro cents/kWh for solar generated electricity. The program now calls for a total of 1000 Megawatts to be installed. By the end of 2003, the Kreditanstaldt fur Wiederaufbau (KfW) Bank who administer the 100,000 Roof Program in Germany, had approved loans for over 250 Megawatts of PV systems.
For the Fiscal Year 2002, the Japanese solar roof top program received applications from 42,838 households.
Jobs in the solar and renewable energy industries may be found at greenjobs.com
Photovoltaic Manufactured Solar Cells
On the supply side, the amount of product manufactured by PV cell manufacturers worldwide reached 2,083 megawatts in 2006.
Japan has taken over from the United States as the largest net exporter of PV cells and modules.
Japan accounted for around 39% of total global cell production in 2006.
Among the top five manufacturers, Sharp remains the largest and has shown the fastest growth over the last five years.
Click here to find worldwide solar energy product manufacturers.
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.
The Solarbuzz global price survey on this site shows that prices have consistently declined for over the last two years. A detailed analysis of the worldwide PV Market is in our premier industry report, Marketbuzz 2007. The US Grid Connect Market is analyzed in detail in this report.
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.
Other Solar Energy Facts
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.
Global Energy and Electricity Industry
The United States, Russia, China, Saudi Arabia, and Canada were the world's five largest producers of energy in 1999, supplying 47.9 percent of the world's total energy. Worldwide oil consumption rose by slightly less than 1 million barrels per day in 2000 (vs 1999).
Source: US DOE
World energy consumption is projected to increase by 59% from 1999 to 2020. Much of the growth in worldwide energy use is expected in the developing world

Source: International Energy Outlook 2001, EIA

1999 World Production of Primary Energy (Quadrillion (10x15) Btu) Source: US DOE EIA

Petroleum
149.7
Hydroelectric
27.10
Natural Gas
87.31
Nuclear
25.25
Coal
84.90
Geothermal, solar, wind, wood, waste
2.83
Renewable energy use is expected to increaes 53% between 1999 and 2020. Much of the growth is attributable to large scale hydroelectricity projects in the developing world. Renewable Energy currently accounts for 9% of total energy consumption and is projected to decline to 8%.

Source: US DOE EIA
A conventional energy Power Plant can range in size from 500-3000 Megawatts.
Total USA Megawatt hour demand was 3,312,087,081 across 125,945,003 customers in 1999.
Source: US DOE, 1999
Total European Union Megawatt hour demand is around 2,300,000,000. (1999)
Electricity Price tariffs by country can be found on this site by clicking here.