Featured in A Teutonic shift – 02-2018

Stepping into the sun

Mediterranean markets: Blessed with high insolation levels, Italy, Greece, and Spain rocketed to the top league of global PV markets in the earlier days of the industry. Spain became the world’s largest market in 2008 at 2.5 GW of annual installations, Italy’s Conto Energia scheme pushed the country to be number 2 in 2011, at 6 GW of new installations, and demand in Greece exceeded 1.1 GW in 2012.
Isla Mayor solar plant in Southern Spain. Having lain dormant for the past few years, Spain’s January auction saw 3.9 GW of new PV capacity allocated.

Caught off-guard by the extent of installations and the related burden for electricity consumers, the governments of these three nations quickly pulled emergency brakes that brought the markets crashing to a halt in Spain and Greece, and diminished it strongly in Italy. After the phase-out of Conto Energia, Italian demand dropped to 0.4 GW in 2014 …

pv magazine
This article is part of pv+
Subscribe digitally to unlock exclusive investigative reporting, expert insights, in-depth analysis, and premium background coverage. Your subscription also includes full access to the digital edition of our magazine.