Distributed PV employment globally outpaces utility-scale solar, says IEA
The latest edition of the International Energy Agency’s (IEA) World Energy Employment report found employment in the PV sector surpassed 5 million in 2024, with distributed solar accounting for two-thirds of all solar employment globally, despite representing only 43% of installed capacity.
Record year for UK rooftop solar installations
Previous record from 2011 broken in early November as number of certified solar installations surpasses 203,125 in 2025. New-build properties driving growth with further gains expected when Future Homes Standard comes into force. UK energy secretary describes solar as a “slam dunk” way of cutting household electricity bills.
Irish distributed solar hits 66 GWh of electricity in April, setting new record
Rooftop and small-scale ground mounted solar systems in Ireland have set a new monthly record for electricity production, generating a total of 66 GWh of electricity in April. So far, in 2025 just over 137 GWh of electricity has come from distributed solar systems.
Digging into China’s solar capacity numbers
Amid a record amount of new solar capacity added in China in 2024, the share held by small-scale, “distributed” arrays fell to 38%, from 58% in 2022. Grid constraints, policy changes, and pricing adjustments have impacted home and business solar arrays, as Vincent Shaw reports, from Shanghai.
Weekend Read: Famine to feast – China’s solar market in 2023
China’s solar industry rebounded in 2023 after years of pandemic-related sluggishness. As the year draws to a close, pv magazine looks back at key highlights of 2023 and considers the prospects for 2024.
Commercial perovskites imminent
Andries Wantenaar, a solar analyst at Rethink Energy, explains why he sees a bright future for perovskite PV cells, with technological advancements and major R&D investment paving the way for revolutionary change.
Utilities, can you DG it?
Small-scale PV systems drove the installation of more than 200 GW of solar capacity last year and could support more than 300 GW this year. That means a reset for utilities.
The year it all changed
The European solar landscape changed forever in 2022 and managing the supply chain, grid, and permitting constraints will be key to a solar-dominated energy future for the continent.
Irish government approves net metering, rebate scheme for solar and renewables
Through the scheme, the Irish government intends to allocate around 380 MW of solar power. Projects of up to 50 kW will be entitled to participate and installations not exceeding 6 kW in size will be given a maximum rebate of €2,400.
Will China’s ‘double carbon’ and ‘dual control’ policies drive demand for solar?
Factories suffering from rationed grid electricity could help drive a boom in on-site solar systems, and recent moves to mandate the retrofitting of PV on existing buildings could also lift the market, as analyst Frank Haugwitz explains.
