Which are the top solar energy using countries in 2020?

There is every growing concern about climate change and the need to shift to renewable sources of energy. Solar energy is one such renewable source of energy and many countries have showing tremendous commitment to shift their energy generation capacity from traditional fossil fuel to solar energy.

Solar power plants use one of two technologies:

1. #Photovoltaic (PV) system: These are either on rooftops or in ground-mounted solar farms, converting sunlight directly into electric power.

2. Concentrated solar power (CSP, also known as "concentrated solar thermal") plants: These use solar thermal energy to make steam which is converted into electricity by a turbine.

By the end of 2019, a total amount of 629 GW of solar power was installed throughout the world.

Find out which are the top solar energy producing countries around the world.

1. China. Currently China has the biggest installed solar power capacity in the world at China: 204,700 MW which accounts for a third (32.6%) of the global installed solar capacity.

2. USA. On second place is USA with a total installed capacity of 75,900 MW which accounts for 12.1% of the global installed capacity.

3. Japan. On third place is Japan with a total installed capacity of 63,000 MW which accounts for 10.0% of the global installed capacity.

4. Germany. Then we have Germany with 49,200 MW total installed capacity which accounts for 7.8% of the global installed capacity

5. India. Then we have India with 42,800 MW of installed capacity which accounts for 6.8% of the global installed capacity.

6. Italy. Then we have Italy at 20,800 MW which amounts to 3.3% of global installed capacity.

7. Australia. Next is Australia with 14,600 MW installed capacity which accounts for 2.3% of world installed capacity

8. United Kingdom. Next is United Kingdom with 13,300 MW installed capacity which is 2.1% of global installed capacity.

9. South Korea. Then we have South Korea with 11,200 MW installed capacity that makes up 1.8% of global installed capacity.

10. France. Next we have France with 9,900 MW of installed capacity which makes up 1.6% of global installed capacity.

Rest of the countries; make up the remaining 121,600 MW of solar installed capacity, which is around 19.4% of the global solar installed capacity.

China is leading the world in solar PV generation, with the total installed capacity exceeding 200 GW by the end of 2019. Since overtaking Germany in 2015, China has been #1 in the world in solar power. China is the world's largest market for both photovoltaic and solar thermal energy and in the last few years, more than half of the total PV additions came from the country.

China was also the top country to add 30,100 MG of installed capacity in 2019. China's goal is to reach 1,300 GW of Solar Capacity by 2050.

USA added 13,300 MG to its installed solar capacity in 2019 becoming second overall and also second in the list of countries which added the most to increase their installed capacity.

India has the world's third fastest expanding solar power program (next only to China & USA). In the year 2017 alone India added a record 9,255 MW of solar power with another 9,627 MW of solar projects under development

India’s goal is to reach 100 GW of installed solar capacity by 2022. The Indian government has set a target to auction at least 77 GW of additional solar power capacity by March 2020.

In January 2016, the Prime Minister of India, Narendra Modi, and the former President of France, François Hollande, laid the foundation stone for the headquarters of the International Solar Alliance (#ISA) in Gwalpahari, India, an alliance of 121 countries, announced at the Paris COP21 climate summit.

The ISA focuses on promoting and developing solar energy and reducing production and development costs through wider deployment of solar technologies in the developing world.

On June 30, 2016, the alliance entered into a partnership with the World Bank for accelerating mobilization of finance for solar energy — an estimated US$1000 billion in investments that will be needed by 2030, to meet ISA's goals for the massive deployment of affordable solar energy worldwide.

At the World Future Energy Summit (#WFES) held in Abu Dhabi in January 2018, the government of India announced the setting up of a $350 million solar development fund to enable financing of solar projects.

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