EUROPEAN MAJOR PV MARKETS 2007: REPORT INTRODUCTION

Europe was the largest regional market for solar photovoltaics (PV) in 2006. The European Major PV markets of Germany, Spain, Italy, Portugal, France and Greece accounted for 1,125 megawatts of PV demand.

Dominant among this group was Germany at 968 megawatts in 2006, whose size made it by far the largest in the world. In this market, private individuals in residential applications accounted for 41% of the market. There was a downward trend in system sizes as the share of large PV projects of MW scale fell, mainly due to changing economics for ground-mounted systems and for the customer segment of Investor Groups. The share of thin films in ground-mounted installations grew strongly, with a single manufacturer as the main beneficiary.

Meanwhile, an analysis of PV business chain volumes shows that German installers bought a greater proportion of modules direct from manufacturers in 2006.

Spain secured second place among the European markets as it rapidly grew to 110 megawatts in 2006 from 35 megawatts a year earlier. The Community of Navarra was the largest regional market. Aggregated solar module volumes by sales channel to the end market are identified in the report.

Revisions to feed-in tariff programs during 2006 and early 2007 have provided the platform for rapid demand growth in Spain and Italy, which are now categorized as the "second tier" Major European PV markets. France, Greece, and Portugal remain at an earlier stage of market development, each with their own constraints over their future growth (analysed in the report), which mean that these countries will remain third tier markets over the forecast period (2007-2011).

Major policy issues in each of the Major European PV markets, particularly in Germany and Spain, influence the market outcomes in the three forecast scenarios, "Balanced Energy", "Green World" and "Production Led", which the development project of the markets over the next five years. Of these, the highest profile issue is the impending review of the Renewable Energy Law in Germany.

Primary data input for this report has been compiled from surveys of, and telephone interviews with, installers and wholesalers, manufacturers and utilities/grid-operators; the proprietary Solarbuzz database of installed and planned PV projects; and Solarbuzz LLC participation at all the major industry conferences and exhibitions across Europe over the last six months.

The outline of this detailed 200+ page European Major PV Markets 2007 report may be found at the link below.

Further details about: European Major PV Markets Report 2007