Almost 17GW of new solar capacity has been added in the EU this year, an increase of 104% on 2018, according to a report from SolarPower Europe.
The report – ‘EU Market Outlook for Solar Power’ – said 16.7GW was added this year, up from 8.2GW in the previous 12 months.
The growth makes 2019 the strongest year for solar in the EU since 2010, the report added.
Spain was Europe’s largest solar market, adding 4.7GW, followed by Germany with 4GW, the Netherlands with 2.5GW, France 1.1GW and Poland with 784MW, SolarPower Europe said.
The report said that 26 of the 28 EU member states installed more solar in 2019 than the year before.
By the end of 2019, the EU will have a total of 131.9GW installed, which represents a 14% increase over the 115.2GW operating at the end of 2018, SolarPower Europe said.
The report predicts further growth in the coming years with 21GW expected to be added in 2020, 21.9GW in 2021 and record highs of 24.3GW in 2022 and 26.8GW in 2023.
SolarPower Europe chief executive Walburga Hemetsberger said: “Solar in the European Union is thriving. We have entered a new era of solar growth, with more new solar capacity installed than any other power generation technology in 2019.
“This boom in installations demonstrates that solar in Europe is on the right track, and with bold climate leadership from the new Commission, solar can help make the European Green Deal a reality.”
SolarPower Europe policy director Aurelie Beauvais said: “There are several reasons to explain the growth of solar in Europe. Primarily, this increased demand can be attributed to solar’s cost-competitiveness – it is often the cheapest power generation source – as well as the approaching deadline for member states to meet their binding national 2020 renewable energy targets.
“EU countries have also begun to prepare for their road to compliance with the Commission’s Clean Energy Package, which sets a 32% renewables target by 2030, where many national governments are increasingly looking to low-cost solar to meet their targets.”