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Global Solar Report Card
Distribution of Solar Energy Potential Worldwide
(Amount of solar energy in hours, received each day on an optimally tilted surface during the worst month of the year)
Global Green USA and Green Cross International have recently released the Global Solar Report Card at the UN Climate Change Conference.
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Governments can create effective solar markets and investments that offer solutions to today’s global economic, environmental and energy crises. “Solar power has a tremendous potential to deliver substantial amounts of clean electricity while reducing electricity bills and creating new jobs in manufacturing and solar installation,” said Matt Petersen. “Solar power will only become ubiquitous once government incentives and policies help advance the markets, something that could easily be achieved by eliminating subsidies for polluting fossil fuels and investing them in solar.”
The Global Solar Report Card explores 16 countries, and the state of California’s, solar commitments to date, as well as their policy efforts in fostering future growth of their solar markets. Success stories as well as lessons learned in policy implementation are discussed. Final grades reveal that all countries are still in the early phases of solar deployment.
Even Germany, which scored highest being the country with most PV installed and having put in place promising 'drivers for future growth', still finishes with only 70 out of a 100 possible points. The state of California, also scored well in 2nd place, having implemented a 10-year $3 billion rebate program for solar.
Spain, which saw tremendous growth up until this year, overtook the US in 2008 as the 3rd country with the most installed PV. A period of uncertainty as to its commitment to solar followed by a decision to cap the market for 2009 negatively affected Spain's grade.
A recent move by the United States to extend its only federal-level financial support for solar, assured a much needed long term commitment for the industry. However, much more could be done in a country with such solar, financial and technological resources.
A few countries such as Italy, France and Greece fare moderately because of still young markets, but all earn points for having put in place substantial drivers for growth. Solar industries are expected to grow in these countries moving forward.
Australia's federal level support is currently inadequate to meet the demand for solar growth. The government is considering an aggressive support mechanism, which, if adopted, could spur significant growth in the country. Similarly to the US, Australia is a country with tremendous solar, technological and financial resources that could do much more to reach its solar potential.
Japan, once the leading country in terms of both production and installed capacity scores low, its main incentive program having ended in 2005. However, the Japanese government is considering restarting its residential PV program.
China, which seems committed to developing a clean energy infrastructure, has set ambitious targets and put in place a comprehensive renewable energy policy framework. However, the country scores poorly here because the specifics for solar PV remain unclear. China stands to gain a lot from supporting the deployment of PV, given its tremendous energy needs, its high insolation and position as one of the three largest PV producers in the world.
Finally, countries that rate poorly in the study are Russia and Poland, with no solar markets and no mechanisms to capitalize on their solar potential, and to a lesser extent, the United Kingdom and Switzerland with small markets and no significant support for solar growth.
Full Report
Introduction
Executive Summary
Australia C
Canada D
China D-
France C+
Germany A-
Greece C-
India C
Israel D-
Italy C+
Japan C
Poland F
Russia F
Spain C+
United Kingdom D-
Switzerland F
United States C+
California B
Publications
Solar City Report: How Los Angeles can Gain the Economic and Environmental Competitive Edge
Global Green USA's proposal for the City of Los Angeles to develop its solar resources by committing to "carving out" 1% (80 megawatts) of its electrical generation capacity for photovoltaic technology. Benefits for the City include economic development opportunities, stabilizing electric rates, improving air quality and reducing green house gas emissions. Winter 2005.
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Green Building Developer Fact Sheets
As part of Global Green's Greening the Tax Credits Campaign, an effort to encourage various states around the country to adopt sustainable building practices as part of the state-administered federal low-income housing tax credit program, we recently published Green Building Developer Fact Sheets, which highlight various sustainable building practices and provide information about local product availability and cost. The first set of fact sheets is for Louisiana, the second set for NY State.
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