Photovoltaics in Germany, the United States, Japan, China and Kenya.

 

Solar photovoltaics (PV) was invented in the United States but was not deployed there on a large scale. For several decades, through its R&D, and its “Sunshine Programme” from 1994 to 2004, Japan refined the technology and successfully reduced the costs of a 3kW roof system from 6 million to 2 million yen. The Sunshine Programme was remarkable in that it phased out its solar PV subsidies (which peaked at about $250 million in 2001) over the duration of the Programme. Despite its low insolation levels, Germany is today by far the largest solar PV market in the world, owing to its generous feed-in tariffs. China produces and exports the majority of solar panels, most of which are sold in Germany, which remains the producer of machines needed in the manufacturing Solar panels.

 Most recently, off-grid solar PV has become increasingly popular in poor areas without access to electricity, in view of the prevailing high electricity prices and low demand levels. The examples of Kenya and Bangladesh are described in chapter V.