Turkey leading solar market
European countries installed at least 8.61 GW of solar power
systems in 2017 – that is a 28% increase in comparison to the 6.72 GW added in 2016,
according to a first estimate from SolarPower Europe, the association of the solar power sector
in Europe. EU member states grew by around 6% to 6.03 GW in 2017 from 5.69 GW in
2016.
James Watson, CEO of SolarPower Europe, said, „Solar in Europe is growing, this is good news
for the energy transition. Now we need the right policies in place to make sure the EU can
fully benefit from our clean energy technology. If the trade measures on imported solar
panels were removed, according to a DG Justice and Consumers study we could see an increase
in solar self-consumption in the EU of around 20-30%. Likewise, if the EU adopted a 35%
renewable energy target, instead of today’s 27%, no less than 120,000 new solar jobs could be
created.“
According to a first estimate, the largest European solar market in 2017 was Turkey, which gridconnected
1.79 GW last year, followed closely by Germany, which added 1.75 GW*. Turkey saw
an end-of-year rush with around 800 MW of solar systems either under construction or installed,
but which were not fully up and running in 2017. The total market share of Turkey and Germany
was around 41% in Europe in 2017.
While Turkey grew by 213% year-on-year and Germany by 23%, the UK, once a solar star, lost
its position as the leading European solar market. After axing solar incentive programmes, new
installations dropped by 54% to around 912 MW in the UK, from 1.97 GW in 2016, less than half
of the 4.1 GW that was installed in 2015. France and the Netherlands, backed by strong
government support, showed two-digit growth in solar capacity additions – France adding 887
MW and the Netherlands adding 853 MW (see graph 3). Spain is also showing signs of progress,
with 135 MW of new solar systems installed in 2017, a 145% increase from 55 MW installed in
2016.
„We are expecting strong growth in the coming years as several EU member states are choosing
solar to meet their national binding 2020 renewables targets. This makes perfect sense as
solar is the most popular energy source among EU citizens, due to its low-cost, versatility and
reliability,“ said Michael Schmela, Executive Advisor and Head of Market Intelligence at
SolarPower Europe.
This solar installation data for Europe is a first estimate from SolarPower Europe for 2017 solar power
on-grid installations and are based on official data from government agencies whenever possible. If
such information was not available from primary sources, SolarPower Europe has gathered data
mostly through its members, comprising national solar associations. As data for Q4/2017 is often
not yet completely available or will be updated by national entities responsible for solar statistics in the
coming months, the actual installation numbers might be considerably higher than this first estimate.
The 2017 global solar market numbers with details on individual countries will be released during the
SolarPower Summit on 14/15 March 2018 in Brussels. A 5-year solar demand forecast will be published
in SolarPower Europe’s ‚Global Market Outlook For Solar Power 2017 – 2022‘, which will be launched at
the Intersolar Europe trade fair in Munich in June 2017.
Source: SolarPower Europe, 9 February 2018
www.solarpowereurope.org
s. European solar market grows 15% in 2015; connecting 8 GW of solar power to the grid
compare to: 2015: A positive year for solar
