Solar Panels How They have Improved for Electrical Power Systems

Electrical Power Systems 2012 Photovoltaics Report

The electrical power systems  information given here on solar panels being used in Europe comes from the 2012 Photovoltaics Status Report that was released on September 25, 2012, by the European Commission’s Joint Research Panel.

The research done involved collecting data on power supply manufacturers, manufacturing, electrical power systems guidelines and practices involved in marketing solar panels in Europe. The panel is interested in reporting to the world at large, the greater interest that it will take in the solar panel industry. The EU intends to strengthen their solar panel manufacturing base as a means to compete with other continents like Asia, one of the EU’s biggest buyers of European made solar panels even though Chinese production of actual PV electricity is greater than EU production while Europe has the greater number of newly installed solar panels.

The most impressive finding of this panel’s research into solar panel use and productivity in Europe was that during the past ten years, the PV or solar panel produced electricity grew more than 40% each of the ten years and what was even more interesting and financially encouraging was that the cost of solar panel produced electricity decreased at or more than 60%. That decrease in the cost of production of solar panels has increased their use in Europe and made European solar panels a better deal for Asian markets in solar panels.

Improved European technology in developing solar panels has actually led to a decrease in the cost of production and given Europe a new industry that looks very financially encouraging for the future of European manufacturing and sales both in Europe and in Europe’s trading partners worldwide.

The findings of the panel are very encouraging to the European Union which has used its influence to promote the installation of solar panels in Europe. The European Union or the EU has set a goal of reaching a 20% of the total electricity used in Europe to be generated by using solar panel production of electricity. Currently, the European countries that lead in PV or photovoltaic produced electricity and the greater number of solar panels are the United Kingdom, Spain, France, Belgium, Czech Republic, Germany and Italy, with solar panel growth of 40 to 90% each of the ten years studied.

Most of the world’s solar panels are in use in Europe. As of September 24, 2012, Europe accounted for 2/3 of the total known use of solar panels. That accounting refers to new photovoltaic of PV solar panels installed in 2011 having 18.5 GW. The total capacity or PV capacity of this 2/3 of the total solar panels being in operation in 2012 is 52 GW. What these numbers break down to is this, the total electricity being produced by 2/3 of the world’s solar panels in Europe produce enough photovoltaics generated electricity to meet the needs of a country the size of Austria. The country of Austria uses only 2% of the electricity required by Europe.

In relation to photovoltaic electricity produced in the entire world and not on the most solar panels installed, China has shown a huge increase in PV electricity produced that accounts for more than 50% of the entire world’s production of electricity using solar panels. Also, the Asian continent is seen as getting the quickest growth in PV electricity production in the previous 5 years. The EU’s panel has found some interesting information in relation to productivity of PV electricity produced and the number of solar panels being installed. What has attracted the entire world to solar panels was the fact that PV electricity is renewable energy production that has interested financial investors to a tune of 98.5 billion euros invested word wide with 2/3 of that sum spent in Europe.

The EU panel is challenged with an explosive Chinese solar panel industrial manufacturing that is being developed by a concentrated Chinese investment in PV manufacturing that is significantly improving the economic condition of China. An encouraging note for European manufacturers of solar panels is that European made solar panels are still sought after by the Chinese and most of Asia.

These sales of solar panels from Europe to Asia have led to increased European research in design and construction of solar panels. The European solar panel industry is growing and developing new innovating concepts in solar panel construction.

The EU panel stresses the improvements made in PV technology and the marketing employed by European manufacturers of solar panels to turn solar panel industries into a global industry. The global push in sales has led to greater cooperation among trading countries in developing better PV technologies and in hastening a global awareness, interest and practical application of ecofriendly electricity production. The EU panel has seen a greater rapport with its trading partners not only in Asia but in The United States as well.

Also, the EU panel cited instances where PV manufacturing could grow appreciably as a future industry with great possibilities in making PV electricity more economical and more sophisticated in production and in usage. In addition, the growth of ecofriendly buildings that could make better use of solar panel technology and clean PV produced electricity looks promising for the future of architecture. New and more environmentally conscious building designs are being made that are more energy efficient using not only solar panel technology but building material that acts as a highly efficient insulation method.

The combined use of new architectural building designs drawn around the use of solar panels and incorporating highly efficient energy conserving building material have grown into a new European future industry tagged, the new European PV architecture. This new architecture is designed to conserve energy to use solar panel generated electricity and to keep the air clean with zero toxic emissions from these new European PV architecture. These findings were released by the European Commission Joint Research Center on a status report of 2012 photovoltaics made, used and sold in Europe and compared to findings of similar values in Asia.