In 2018, the EU added 8 GW of solar power, a 36% year-on-year increase

[Cable Network News] According to the European Solar Energy Industry Association SolarPower Europe data, the EU installed about 8.0 GW of solar power system in 2018, compared with 2017, the European Union's 28 national grid added 5.9 GW of solar energy increased by 36%.
Solar installations across Europe increased by about 20% in 2018 to 11.0 GW, up from 9.2 GW in the previous year.
Walburga Hemetsberger, CEO of SolarPower Europe, said: "I am very pleased to see Europe once again fully embrace solar energy. Solar energy is the most popular energy source among EU citizens, and it is also the most versatile, usually the lowest cost power source, and with the cost reduction , we are just starting from the long-term upward trend of European solar energy development."
Aurélie Beauvais, Policy Director of SolarPower Europe, commented: “In the next two years, we will see strong demand for solar energy in Europe. One of the main reasons is the upcoming EU 2020 target, many of which will choose low-cost solar energy to fulfill its obligation.
Beauvais added: "The EU has completed the first step, by eliminating the trade measures for solar panels and ensuring a very positive solar framework through a clean energy package legislation, this phase is to achieve significant growth in solar energy. Now, EU member states must implement the right national climate and energy plan to sustain this solar boom."
The largest solar market in Europe in 2018 is Germany, with a new grid-connected capacity of 2.96 GW, a 68% increase over the 1.76 GW installed in 2017. Followed by Turkey, installed 1.64 GW, down 37% year-on-year, mainly because of the country's financial crisis leading to a decline in demand. As a rising solar "market star", the Netherlands was named the third largest solar market in Europe in 2018, an increase of about 1.4 GW, and in 2017 it was 0.77 GW, the first time into the "solar megawatts club".
Michael Schmela, executive consultant and market intelligence director at SolarPower Europe, said: "Although the 36% growth of the EU 28 solar market in 2018 is impressive, the sudden demand pull from China at the end of last year led to a shortage of high quality panel supplies in Europe, forcing some The developer postponed the completion of the project by 2019. However, the good news is that 2019 will be a good year for European solar power generation."
(This article is the first cable network www.cableabc.com reproduced.)