Following up on my top solar power state rankings, below are rankings of the top solar power countries per capita and per GDP. These solar power by country rankings are key to seeing who the solar power leaders are in relative terms. It’s great that giant countries like the US and China are investing in solar, but how do their investments really compare when we compare to country populations and GDP? That’s the important question — that is, if we want to identify who is really leading the world with aggressive solar power policies and incentives.
Before jumping in to the country rankings, as I included in my articles yesterday, here are a handful of related rankings I’ve created:
- Top Solar Power States
- Top Solar Power Countries (Per Capita, Per GDP, Per TWh of Electricity Produced, & in Total) in 2011
- Top Solar Power States (Q3 2012) vs Top Solar Power Countries (Q4 2011)
- Top Wind Power Countries Per Capita (2012)
- Top Wind Power Countries Per GDP (2012)
For all solar power rankings below, solar power capacity data come from EPIA’s 2012Photovoltaic Barometer report. The population numbers come from Internet World Stats (IWS) and the GDP numbers come from the International Monetary Fund (IMF). On to the solar power country rankings….
Total Solar Power By Country Per Capita
Image Credit: Zachary Shahan / CleanTechnica
New Solar Power By Country Per Capita
Image Credit: Zachary Shahan / CleanTechnica
Total Solar Power By Country Per GDP
Image Credit: Zachary Shahan / CleanTechnica
New Solar Power By Country Per GDP
Image Credit: Zachary Shahan / CleanTechnica
Initial Thoughts
1. Germany is still the clear solar power leader per capita (total solar power capacity).
2. Italy, Belgium, and the Czech Republicare still clearly #2, #3, and #4 in that category.
3. Solar power country leaders per capita are almost entirely European countries. The only others in the top 20 are Australia (#8),Japan (#14), Israel (#17), US (#20).
4. Per GDP, however, Germany falls to #3, as Bulgaria and the Czech Republic take #1 and #2, respectively. Australia and the US, of course, fall further down the list.
5. Bulgaria was the solar superstar of the year. Crushing all other countries in new solar power capacity per GDP and per capita, Bulgaria was a notable solar leader that you really don’t hear much about.
6. Germany, Greece, and Denmark also had very strong showings in new solar power capacity per capita, and additional European countries such as Slovenia,Belgium, Italy, Austria, and perhapsSwitzerland had strong results in this arena (relative to other countries). The US came in at #14 in this category.
7. Per GDP, aside from Bulgaria running away with the title like Usain Bolt vs a college athlete, Greece, Slovenia,Germany, and Italy had relatively good results. Belgium, Denmark, and Ukrainewere in the next grouping with mediocre to good results. After that, the trail-off is pretty clear. The US came in at #23 in this category.
Those are my main thoughts. Clearly, the solar policies of numerous European countries have made them solar leaders in more ways than one. Some other countries have had mediocre policies and results, nothing spectacular. Your thoughts?
How much is your roof worth with solar panels?
For customized return on investment, exclusive deals, and answers to all your solar power questions, enter your address. It's free, and there's no obligation:
I'm the director of CleanTechnica, the most popular cleantech-focused website in the world, and Planetsave, a world-leading green and science news site. I've been covering green news of various sorts since 2008, and I've been especially focused on solar energy, electric vehicles, bicycling, and wind energy for the past few years. Aside from my work on CleanTechnica and Planetsave, I'm the Network Manager for their parent organization – Important Media – and I'm the Owner/Founder of Solar Love,EV Obsession, and Bikocity. To connect on some of your favorite social networks, go toZacharyShahan.com or click on some of the links below.
- Ivor O’Connor
- http://zacharyshahan.com/Thanks!
- Henry
- http://zacharyshahan.com/
No comments:
Post a Comment