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Solar Panel Statistics

With fuel prices rising steadily, more and more people are switching to renewable energy sources. Solar panels are one of the fastest-growing clean, sustainable, and renewable energy sources. These panels are popular among homeowners, businesses, and agricultural industries.

Even in the UK, this energy source is quickly gaining momentum. During the first six months of 2022, there was a reported 80% growth in solar panel installations compared to the installations in a similar period last year (solarpanelportal, 2022.). Due to this growth, we can expect to see better accessibility to solar energy.

If you are switching to solar energy or want to learn more about this resource, here are some important solar panel statistics.

The Future Of Solar Panels Statistics

With an increasing push towards renewable energy, solar panels are predicted to take the lead in this change. Governments and other organisations are expected to invest in solar energy due to its wide accessibility.

Here are some important facts and figures that predict the growth of the solar energy industry in the future.

Solar energy is expected to become one of the leading renewable energy sources worldwide. This renewable source is expected to experience major growth worldwide. Many industry experts predict solar capacity reaching one terawatt of solar power generation by 2023 (BDO, 2023). This figure highlights the growth of solar panels worldwide with more and more people installing this source in their homes, offices and other buildings. More solar energy infrastructure can also increase access to electricity in remote areas.
The solar energy is expected to grow by 21% between 2023 to 2027 in the US. . This figure shows a promising trend towards the increase of solar energy. With higher solar energy production, the country can supply this power to areas with little to no access to energy.
Even in the UK, the solar industry is expected to experience a boom in 2023. Industry experts predict solar energy as having the biggest growth in terms of renewable energy segmentation. The demand for this energy is set to increase by 20 to 30% this year (esmag, 2023).
The UK government is working towards tripling the number of solar panels installed by 2030 (FT, 2023). This initiative is a great way to increase the dependence on renewable energy sources. However, instead of focusing on the number of solar panels, more focus should be given to the capacity of solar energy. If solar energy capacity is high, more electricity can be generated from this source.

Growth Of Solar Panels Around The Globe

Over the past few years, solar panels have emerged as a sustainable, viable solution to climate change. More and more homeowners are installing these panels on their roofs, and businesses are also investing in solar energy to boost profits.

Solar energy is also a great way to combat the current energy crises around the globe. Here are some great statistics that highlight the growth and demand for solar panels worldwide.

If you want to invest in solar panels, now is a great time. The current price of solar panels has seen an 88% decrease since 2010. This means you can save approximately £500 per year on your energy bills (thecoexperts, 2022). For many people, the high price of solar panels is often a barrier to installation. However, with the 2022 prices, installing these panels without breaking your budget is possible. Solar panels are a great long-term investment, so you will enjoy benefits far into the future.
As mentioned before, there were a record number of solar panel installations in the UK in 2022. This increase the capacity of solar energy to 556 MW. This growth is expected to carry on into 2023 as well (solarpowerportal, 2022.). This trend is very promising for the future of solar and renewable energy. With government funding and innovative technology, we can easily improve the solar energy infrastructure to make them more efficient and cost-effective in the future. The government should also raise awareness about this energy source to reduce fossil fuel dependency.
To understand just how much solar energy we can use, it is important at the amount of solar energy available. At any given moment, 173,000 terawatts (TW) of solar energy strikes the earth. This energy is 10,000 times more than the world’s total energy use during the same time period. For a better perspective, the world’s current population consumes approximately 23,900 terawatt-hours (TWh) of power each year. Most of this energy is generated through fossil fuels (thecoexperts, 2022). These statistics highlight the potential of solar energy and what it could mean for access to electricity worldwide. Fossil fuels not only harm the environment, but they are also getting expensive due to energy crises. Fossil fuels are also a finite source which means that there will be a major fuel shortage in the future if we keep relying on them. To avoid such issues, it is important to start investing in solar energy. Governments should also provide easy access to solar energy in areas that have little access to electricity.
Affordability also affects how accessible solar energy is. While the electricity from renewable infrastructures is cheaper, the cost to build and maintain these structures is very high. The cost of solar and hybrid grid connections has increased by approximately 20% in 2022. This is a significant increase from pre-pandemic price levels (IEA, 2022). The reason for these high prices is the lack of funding and support towards renewable energy sources from some governments. With innovative technology being readily present, it is important to improve renewable energy infrastructure. As mentioned before, renewable energy is less likely to be affected by global crises; therefore, more effort should be taken to improve this resource.
When it comes to the type of installation, most solar panel installations are residential. 79% of the newly installed solar panels were 4kW or under. These installations increased the residential solar energy capacity to 43MW by June 2022 (uksmartenergy, 2022).
The global total solar photovoltaic capacity has experienced steady growth since 2000. In 2021, global cumulative solar energy capacity amounted to 940 GW, with approximately 168 GW of new solar PV installed in the same year (statista, 2022). Solar energy is currently on track to reach an even higher number in the future; With more and more people using solar power, there will be an increased push toward renewable energy.
According to energy reports, renewable energy contributed 29% of the electricity generated worldwide in 2020. This marked a 27% increase from 2019. During this time, hydroelectric produced over half of the world’s renewable power at 57.8%. Wind contributed 21.4%, and solar energy 11.4% (theecoexperts, 2020). Even though solar made up a small percentage of the global renewable energy source, recent charts and forecasts indicate that this renewable is on the rise. Solar energy is expected to lead the way in the renewable energy boom.

The World’s Global Solar Capacity

Even though there is an increasing trend of solar power capacity worldwide, this energy is growing at an uneven rate across the globe.

Some regions are producing very high numbers of solar energy while some are starting out with this form of energy. Here is the world’s global solar capacity.

As of 2022, China and the United States are two of the leading countries in terms of global cumulative solar capacity. These countries are responsible for producing approximately 307 GW and 122 GW (statista, 2022). These two countries are leading the way for global solar energy consumption. It is important to adopt the strategies in these regions and apply them on a global scale to increase the growth of solar energy.
In 2021, India had the world’s largest solar photovoltaic power plant in terms of capacity, producing 2,245 MW of energy. (Statista, 2022). India’s geographical location gives it an advantage when it comes to solar energy. With a higher solar capacity, India can significantly increase its energy generation through renewable energy sources.
In 2021, the UK produced 12.47 TWh of electricity from solar power. This was a sharp increase from 2010 when only 0.04 TWh of electricity was produced from solar energy (ourworldindata, 2021). This sharp upward trend shows a promising future for solar energy in the UK. We can expect to see more electricity generated from this power source with better and more innovative solar energy infrastructure.
The lowest amount of electricity generation from solar power is in Africa, with certain parts of the continent only producing 6 TWh of electricity from solar energy in 2021 (ourworldindata, 2021). Even though this growth is low compared to other regions, there is a lot of potential here. Due to Africa’s geographical location, this region can greatly benefit from more solar energy plants. This will not only provide clean and sustainable energy to the region but also make electricity more accessible to a wider demographic.
In 2021, the average amount of solar energy consumed per capita was 232 KWh. The country that consumes the most solar power per capita is Australia taking around 3,165 kWh. This was closely followed by Japan, Germany, and the UAE. The UK will consume 475 kWh per capita of solar energy in 2021 (ourworldindata, 2021). Highlighting the amount of energy consumed per capita, instead of focusing on the cumulative consumption, is extremely useful when comparing energy rates between countries. This paints a much more accurate picture of how solar energy is used in a country.

Growth Of Solar Panels In The UK

Solar power in the UK has been growing steadily over the year as many homeowners and business owners are investing in this resource.

With more awareness about climate change and renewable energy, many people are open to the idea of solar panels in their buildings. Here is how the UK performs in terms of solar energy.

2022 marked a record number of solar panel installations across the UK. Over 1 million installations of 14 GW solar panels took place in June of 2022. This was a 2.4% increase since the same period last year. (uksmartenergy, 2022). With this figure, we can expect to see a higher generation of electricity from solar power in the future. Since many people are installing solar panels, we can expect a higher rate of renewable energy in the UK in the upcoming years.
As of now, solar power does not take up significant space in UK’s energy mix. It only accounts for 6.8% of the renewable power mix of electricity generation. (thecoexperts, 2023). Even though this figure seems low, it has seen an increase during an especially complicated period for renewables throughout 2021. For comparison, 35.9% of the UK electricity generation came from renewables in 2021. Current geopolitical and energy crises could be responsible for this drop; however, the UK has several resources to get the rate back up in the coming years.
In Q3 of 2021, solar energy was one of the only renewables to experience growth in energy generation. The only other renewable that managed this growth was bioenergy. (GovUK, 2021). With statistics, we can expect solar energy to experience steady growth in the future. Since there is more innovative renewable energy infrastructure, more effort should be made to increase energy generation from solar power.
UK’s solar capacity is also experiencing slow and steady growth. As of 2021, the region’s overall solar capacity stood at 14.6 GW. Experts forecast this number to continue increasing every year, as 0.73 GW of solar panel capacity was installed in 2021 alone (solarenergy, 2021). More and more people are looking towards solar energy because it is proven to work efficiently. Due to this high-quality performance, we can expect a much higher demand for solar energy in the UK.
To generate enough electricity to power the entirety of the UK, the region would need about 30,000 square kilometers of solar panels. This means that almost 12% of the entire country would need to be covered in solar panels to generate enough electricity).
The UK government is working towards tripling the number of solar panels installed by 2030 (FT, 2023). This initiative is a great way to increase the dependence on renewable energy sources. However, instead of focusing on the number of solar panels, more focus should be given to the capacity of solar energy. If solar energy capacity is high, more electricity can be generated from this source.

What Form Of Solar Energy Do People In The UK Prefer?

Solar energy infrastructure has many different types. From residential rooftop installation to ground mounted fixtures, consumers have a wide variety of options to choose from to fit their energy needs.

This quality makes solar panels a highly versatile form of renewable energy. Here are some interesting statistics highlighting which type of solar panels is more popular in the UK.

There have been a record number of solar panel installations on residential properties. In 2022, there was approximately 500 MW worth of solar panels installed in residential areas. This number showed significant growth from 2017 when the solar PV residential capacity was around 100 MW (solarpowerportal, 2022). This significant growth in the residential sector could be attributed to new tariffs by the government that encouraged the use of renewable energy. The success rate of the tariff shows major potential for the upcoming future of solar and other renewable energy in the UK.
A standard 250W solar panel system costs £400-£500 in 2022; however, this price can vary depending on the size and type of the system. One of the most common residential sizes is a 4KW solar panel system which can cost roughly £6,000 and cover 29 square meters of a roof (greenmatch, 2022).
Even though residential installations were popular, in 2021, there was significant growth in all three segments of solar panel installations. Commercial scale solar panels reached a capacity of approximately 350 MW, while ground mounted solar panels amounted to almost 700 MW of solar energy (solarenergyuk, 2021). With this statistic, we can see that there was major growth in all solar panel installations. This makes solar panels a highly accessible renewable energy source that works well in multiple buildings and locations. Consumers can add these panels to their homes or businesses to enjoy their benefits.
In general, the rooftop solar installation sector is enjoying a boom in the UK. There are now more than 5GW of residential, commercial, and industrial rooftop solar panel capacity installed in the UK. (solarenergyuk, 2021). These numbers indicate a significant solar deployment in the upcoming years. More and more homeowners and business owners are turning towards technology that saves money on their energy bills and provides clean energy.
Aside from solar panels, there is also an increasing push towards more solar farms in the UK. Currently, there are about 500 solar farms in the UK providing clean energy to the national electricity grid. (theecoxperts, 2023). Solar farms are a great investment as this clean energy feeds directly into the national power grid. With this source, it is much easier to provide renewable energy to the entire region directly. With better infrastructure and technology, governments can greatly increase the efficiency and capacity of their solar farms.

Solar Panel And Its Affect On Renewable Energy

Renewable energy is on the rise worldwide due to its clean emission and economical price. Solar panels are one of the most popular renewable energy sources available. Here is some important information about renewable energy and how solar panel plays a significant part in this.

The current global projections for renewable energy sources indicate a 30% increase since 2006. This figure is expected to jump even higher by 2030. (mckinsey, 2022). With these statistics, we can track the awareness and demand for renewable energy sources. Since 2006 there have been low levels of interest generated this type of energy; however, in 2015, there was a boom in terms of demand for renewable energy. Since then, the need for renewable energy sources has been steadily increasing. With this demand, people can expect better access to renewable energy sources in the future.
There will be 774 million people without access to electricity in 2022. This number had increased from 2021/20 when there were 754 million people without access to electricity. (IEA, 2022). 2020 has been a period of major change in terms of global economic crisis. This crisis can be seen as one reason for the increase in people without access to electricity. Solar panels are a great way to improve access to electricity and reduce carbon emissions from harmful energy sources.
The covid-19 pandemic and global energy crisis due to the war in Ukraine have proven detrimental to equal electricity accessibility. At this current rate of progress, 670 million people will remain with access to electricity by 2030. This projection shows a 10 million increase than projected in 2021 (irena, 2021). Since the onset of 2020, there have been multiple global crises that have affected access to electricity. Due to these reasons, there are more expected to be without electricity in the upcoming years. However, the UN and other organisations should apply fast-acting initiatives to improve progress in the upcoming years. Investing in renewable energy from natural resources is a great way to increase electricity capacity without increasing carbon emissions.
While there are multiple renewable energy sources, solar and wind take the lead in this category. Between 2006 and 2030, the demand for solar energy is expected to grow 30 times more. On the other hand, the demand for wind power is projected to be 4 times higher than the demand in 2006 (mckinsey, 2022). While the number on their own might not seem significant, they indicate a sharp increase in interest for wind and solar energy sources. When compared to demand rates in 2006, there has been a sharp increase in the need for such energy sources. This proves extremely beneficial for the fight against climate change and the need for clean energy sources.
In the UK, government legislatures aim for a net zero future by 2050. To reach this goal, the government is setting target providers so that all electricity comes from 100% zero-carbon generation by 2035 (nationalgrid, 2023). One of the best ways to make a real change toward reducing carbon emissions is by making large-scale changes to the energy infrastructure. With governments adopting renewable energy sources as one of the main power sources, people should expect better access to this power in the future. With more and more people moving towards renewable energy sources, we can expect a significant decrease in climate change.
In terms of numbers, the UK is close to producing its trillionth kilowatt hour of renewable energy since 1970. Even though it took 47 years (between 1970 to 2017) to produce the first half of the trillion, it will take only 6 years to produce the second of the trillion by 2023 (nationalgrid, 2023). The speed at which the UK is advancing towards more renewable energy is incredibly promising for the future. With this comparison between the years, we track the advancement toward cleaner energy sources.
To understand the increase in renewables, it is also important to track the use of coal power. Between 2000 and 2021, the UK significantly decreased its coal energy usage. In 2000, coal energy produced 120 TWh of energy, but in 2021, only 6 TWh was produced. (ourworldindata, 2020). This chart shows us that there has been a steady phasing out of coal power in the UK. By following this trend, we can expect to see an even more steep decline in the use of coal energy in the UK.

Solar panels are rising in popularity around the globe. This form of energy is clean, reliable, and highly efficient.

Government initiatives should increase the awareness of solar energy and renewable power to increase demand and cut down dependence on fossil fuels. With the current trends in renewable energy, we can expect even more accessibility to solar power in the future.