The Future of Solar

The use of solar energy technologies, and especially solar photovoltaic (PV) technologies, has enjoyed significant growth over the past decade. By the end of 2011, the total estimated installed capacity of PV systems around the world was 70 GW, and could exceed 91 GW by the end of this year. These exceptional growth rates are expected to continue into the future: total installed capacity could grow to 230 GW by 2017, and may contribute to as much as 11% of the global electricity supply by the year 2050.