2019 was the strongest year for growth in solar energy for Europe since 2010, with more new solar capacity added than any other power generation technology.

SolarPower Europe has reported the figures in its EU and Global Market Outlook for Solar Power report, that demonstrates that with a growth of more than 100 per cent over the past year, solar growth in the EU has outpaced many of the leading solar regions worldwide.

The region installed 16.7 GW – a 104 per cent increase over the 8.2 GW added the year before. Spain was both the EU’s and Europe’s largest solar market, followed by Germany (4 GW), the Netherlands (2.5 GW), France (1.1 GW), and Poland (784 MW).

SolarPower Europe attributes these increases to is the relative cost of solar power, often cheaper than any other power generation source, and the looming deadline for member states to meet their binding national 2020 renewable energy targets.

The latest trend identified in the report is the rise of corporate renewable power sourcing, that has become a crucial part of the energy and sustainability strategy of many major corporates, who have invested in on-site solar as well as signing ‘subsidy-free’ direct bilateral solar PPAs from large off-site solar power plants that increasingly compete with wholesale power markets in a number of European countries.

The report can be downloaded at: www.solarpowereurope.org

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