Role of solar energy

Why is solar PV important?

Solar photovoltaics (PV) is a very modular technology that can be manufactured in large plants, which creates economies of scale, but can also be deployed in very small quantities at a time. This allows for a wide range of applications, from small residential roof-top systems up to utility-scale power generation installations.

What is the role of solar PV in clean energy transitions?

Despite increases in investment costs due to rising commodity prices, utility-scale solar PV is the least costly option for new electricity generation in a significant majority of countries worldwide. Distributed solar PV, such as rooftop solar on buildings, is also set for faster growth because of higher retail electricity prices and growing policy support.

Where do we need to go?

The exceptional growth in PV deployment in recent years will need to continue and scale up to follow the Net Zero Emissions by 2050 Scenario, requiring continued policy ambition.

Solar PV still dominates renewable energy capacity additions

Solar PV generation increased by a record 270 TWh (up 26%) in 2022, reaching almost 1 300 TWh. It demonstrated the largest absolute generation growth of all renewable technologies in 2022, surpassing wind for the first time in history. This generation growth rate matches the level envisaged from 2023 to 2030 in the Net Zero Emissions by 2050 Scenario. Continuous growth in the economic attractiveness of PV, massive development in the supply chain and increasing policy support, especially in China, the United States, the European Union and India, are expected to further accelerate capacity growth in the coming years. The tracking status of solar PV has therefore been upgraded in 2023 from “more effort needed” to “on track”. 

Maintaining a generation growth rate aligned with the Net Zero Scenario will require reaching annual capacity additions that are close to three times higher than those of 2022 until 2030. Achieving this will require continuous policy ambition and effort from both public and private stakeholders, especially in the areas of grid integration and in addressing policy, regulation and financing challenges.

New, ambitious policies and targets introduced in the biggest solar PV markets will further accelerate capacity growth

Countries and regions making notable progress to advance solar PV include: 

China continues to lead in terms of solar PV capacity additions, with 100 GW added in 2022, almost 60% more than in 2021. The 14th Five-Year Plan for Renewable Energy, released in 2022, provides ambitious targets for deployment, which should drive further capacity growth in the coming years. 

The European Union is accelerating solar PV deployment in response to the energy crisis, with 38 GW added in 2022, a 50% increase compared to 2021. New policies and targets proposed in the REPowerEU Plan and The Green Deal Industrial Plan are expected to be important drivers of solar PV investment in the coming years. 

The United States included generous new funding for solar PV in the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) introduced in 2022. Investment and production tax credits will give a significant boost to PV capacity and supply chain expansion.  

India installed 18 GW of solar PV in 2022, almost 40% more than in 2021. A new target to increase PV capacity auctioned to 40 GW annually and dynamic development of the domestic supply chain are expected to result in further acceleration in PV growth in the near future. 

Brazil added almost 11 GW of solar PV capacity in 2022, doubling its 2021 growth. Deployment is expected to remain on this level in the medium term thanks to continuous demand for renewable energy from industry and electricity retailers. 

Power generation from solar PV increased by a record 270 TWh in 2022, up by 26% on 2021. Solar PV accounted for 4.5% of total global electricity generation, and it remains the third largest renewable electricity technology behind hydropower and wind. 

China was responsible for about 38% of solar PV generation growth in 2022, thanks to large capacity additions in 2021 and 2022. The second largest generation growth (a 17% share of the total) was recorded in the European Union, followed by the United States (15%). Solar PV proved to be resilient in the face of supply chain bottlenecks, high commodity prices and the increase in interest rates experienced in 2022, and achieved another record annual increase in capacity (220 GW). This should lead to further acceleration of electricity generation growth in 2023.  

Reaching an annual solar PV generation level of approximately 8 300 TWh in 2030, in alignment with the Net Zero Scenario, up from the current 1 300 TWh, will require annual average generation growth of around 26% during 2023-2030. This rate is similar to the expansion recorded in 2022, but maintaining this momentum as the PV market grows will require continuous effort. 

Utility-scale plants were responsible for about half of global solar PV capacity additions in 2022, followed by distributed capacity in the commercial and industrial (25%) and residential (23%) segments. The share of utility-scale plants was at its lowest since 2012, as generous policy incentives drove record distributed PV capacity additions in China, Brazil, the United States and the European Union in 2020-2021.  

In the context of high fuel and electricity prices in 2021-2022, distributed PV became an increasingly attractive alternative for many consumers, which has sparked investment. Utility-scale systems are the cheapest source of electricity generation in most parts of the world. However, building large-scale installations is becoming increasingly challenging in many countries due to the lack of suitable sites and complicated permitting procedures, which favours small-scale, rooftop PV systems.  

Continuous support for all PV segments will be needed for annual solar PV capacity additions to increase to about 800 GW, in order to reach the more than 6 000 GW of total installed capacity in 2030 envisaged in the NZE Scenario. Distributed and utility-scale PV need to be developed in parallel, depending on each country’s potential and needs. 

The solar PV market is dominated by crystalline silicon technology, for which the production process consists of four main steps:

Production of high purity polysilicon

Crystallisation into ingots and slicing into thin wafers

Production of PV cells

Assembly of PV modules  

In 2022, global solar PV manufacturing capacity increased by over 70% to reach 450 GW for polysilicon and up to 640 GW for modules, with China accounting for more than 95% of new facilities throughout the supply chain.  

According to investment announcements by manufacturers and the expected impact of industrial policies introduced in the United States (IRA), India (Production Linked Incentive) and the European Union (The Green Deal Industrial Plan), global capacity will more than double in the next five years. However, despite these efforts to geographically diversify the supply chain, announced projects indicate that China is likely to maintain its 80-95% share in solar PV manufacturing capacity in this period. 

While solar PV manufacturing capacity in 2030 is expected to be well above what is required to cover 2030 demand in the Net Zero Scenario, greater efforts are needed to increase the resilience and geographic diversification of the supply chain.  

Crystalline silicon remains the dominant PV technology, with new, more efficient designs expanding their market shares

Crystalline polysilicon remains the dominant technology for PV modules, with a market share of more than 97%. Various different types of wafers and cells are used for crystalline polysilicon solar, with some more efficient than others. The shift to more efficient monocrystalline wafers accelerated in 2022, with the technology capturing almost all crystalline PV production. In parallel, a more efficient cell design (Passivated Emitter and Rear Cell [PERC]) is also expanding its dominance with almost 60% market share. Other new, even higher-efficiency cell designs (using technologies such as TOPCon, heterojunction and back contact) also saw expanded commercial production and captured about 35% of the market in 2022. 

Strong policy support for solar PV is driving the acceleration in capacity growth

Policy support remains a principal driver of solar PV deployment in the majority of the world. Various types of policy are behind the capacity growth, including auctions, feed-in tariffs, net-metering and contracts for difference. The following important policy and target changes affecting solar PV growth have been implemented in the past couple of years: 

China published its 14th Five-Year Plan for Renewable Energy in June 2022, which includes an ambitious target of 33% of electricity generation to come from renewables by 2025 (up from about 29% in 2021), including an 18% target for wind and solar technologies. 

In August 2022 the federal government of the United States introduced the IRA, which significantly expands support for renewable energy in the next 10 years through tax credits and other measures. 

In May 2022 the European Commission proposed to increase the European Union’s renewable energy target for 2030 to 45% as part of the REPowerEU Plan (which would require 1 236 GW of total installed renewable capacity, including 600 GW of solar PV). Many European countries have already expanded their solar PV support mechanisms in order to accelerate capacity growth with a view to the 2030 targets and in response to the energy crisis caused by Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. In addition, in February 2023 the Commission announced The Green Deal Industrial Plan, aiming to support the expansion of clean energy technology manufacturing, including solar PV.  

During COP26, held in November 2021, India announced new 2030 targets of 500 GW of total non-fossil power capacity and 50% renewable electricity generation share (more than double the 22% share in 2020), as well as net zero emissions by 2070, with solar PV being one of the main technologies used to achieve these goals.  

In 2022, solar PV further strengthened its leading position as the power generation technology with the most investment

Global solar PV investments in capacity additions increased by over 20% in 2022 and surpassed USD 320 billion, marking another record year. Solar PV comprised almost 45% of total global electricity generation investment in 2022, triple the spending on all fossil fuel technologies collectively. Investment in PV is expected to grow further in the coming years thanks to ambitious government targets, policy support and increasing competitiveness.

Many global and bilateral collaboration initiatives are advancing technological development and policy support for solar PV

Beyond global renewable energy initiatives that include solar PV (see Renewables), there are numerous international organisations, collaboration programmes, groups and initiatives aimed specifically at accelerating solar PV growth around the world, such as:  

The IEA Photovoltaic Power Systems Technology Collaboration Programme, which advocates for solar PV energy as a cornerstone of the transition to sustainable energy systems. It conducts various collaborative projects relevant to solar PV technologies and systems to reduce costs, analyse barriers and raise awareness of PV electricity’s potential. 

The International Solar Alliance, which is a treaty-based intergovernmental organisation that provides a platform to promote solar energy across 86 member countries in a safe, affordable, sustainable and equitable manner.  

Solar PV is the main renewable technology of choice in the private sector

The private sector’s main activity in solar PV deployment can be divided into two categories: 

Companies investing in distributed (including rooftop) solar PV installations on their own buildings and premises – responsible for 26% of total installed PV capacity as of 2022. 

Companies entering into corporate power purchase agreements (PPAs) – signing direct contracts with solar PV plant operators for the purchase of generated electricity. Solar PV plants dominate renewables PPAs, with a share of almost 70% in 2022.