During the second half of 2013, global solar photovoltaic (PV) demand is forecast to reach 20GW, up 22% on year. This increase, driven largely by aggressive PV development in China and Japan, will drive full year 2013 PV demand to a record high of 35.1GW, according to research firm Solarbuzz.
"The solar PV industry continues to transition from a Europe-dominated environment to a global market, with a wide range of countries contributing to growth in the overall PV market," said Michael Barker, senior analyst at Solarbuzz. "Until this transition phase is completed, however, the PV industry remains highly dependent on a small group of countries currently at the multi-GW level."
Global PV demand during the first half of 2013 reached 15GW, up 9% compared to the same period in 2012. More than 60% of demand in the first half came from four countries: Germany, China, Japan, and the US. Global PV installations were led by large-scale utility and commercial ground-mount applications, which provided 45% of first-half PV demand. Residential rooftop applications accounted for approximately 20%, with the remainder coming from non-residential rooftop installations and off-grid applications.
During the second half of the year, PV deployment from just two countries – China and Japan – is forecast to account for more than 45% of global PV demand, the firm added. While Europe accounted for almost half of global PV demand during the second half of 2012, this figure will decline to less than 30% during the second half of 2013.
"Just three years ago, solar PV installations in China and Japan were contributing less than 10% of the second-half global market-share," added Barker. "In 2013, the number of large-scale PV projects completed in these two countries alone will determine the level of annual growth from the industry, and by how much global demand can exceed the 35GW mark."
