Comparison of photovoltaic panel power generation in various regions

What is global photovoltaic power potential by country?

The World Bank has published the study Global Photovoltaic Power Potential by Country, which provides an aggregated and harmonized view on solar resource and the potential for development of utility-scale photovoltaic (PV) power plants from the perspective of countries and regions.

What is the theoretical potential for PV power generation?

Theoretical potential for PV power generation is best characterized by the long-term distribution of solar resource, in other words, the ‘amount of fuel’ available for PV electricity generation at a given loca-tion.

Is solar PV a viable alternative to traditional energy sources?

At the start of 2010, the main selling point of the solar PV industry was its small environmental foot-print, but only a minority believed that it could economically compete with traditional energy sources in the near future.

Is solar PV a good source of electricity?

The potential for clean, carbon-free electricity generation from solar photovoltaic (PV) sources in most countries dwarfs their current electricity demand. Around 20% of the global population lives in 70 countries boasting excellent conditions for solar PV.

What is a theoretical solar PV potential?

The long-term energy content of the solar resource available at a certain location defines the theoret-ical solar PV potential (Chapter 2.3). For PV technology, the energy content is well quantified by the physical variable of global horizontal irradiation (GHI).

Are solar photovoltaics a viable option for less-developed countries?

Many less-developed countries—in terms of the human development index, reliability of electricity supply, and access to electricity—tend to have very high practical solar photovoltaic potential, so far untapped.