2011 Outlook for Renewable Enerqy

摘要

While still at very small penetrations, solar is making incredible progress. Ten years ago, global solar PV installations were at 170 MW. This year, due to solid policy support and rapid price declines, they were at 17,000 MW. And in 2010, the U.S. solar PV industry finally broke the 1 GW mark in installations. The Solar Energy Industries Association projects that the U.S. will be installing more than 20 GW of capacity each year beyond 2020. The Canadian province of Ontario represented a major growth market for solar PV as well. Helped out by a generous feed-in tariff program for roof and ground-mounted systems, the Ontario solar market became the third largest in North America, behind California and New Jersey. But pay attention to the program in 2011: The Ontario Power Authority may decide to reduce tariffs further if the market overheats.