Solar Photovoltaic Industry Overview

We start with a section of the site which provides an overview of the solar photovoltaic industry.

This describes the main applications where solar energy will most frequently be seen. To this we add a simple description of the main pieces of equipment that make up a complete solar electric functioning system.

A brief summary of the key solar cell technologies are covered and the different types of manufacturing facilities, which provide local investment and jobs.

Industry Statistics


The solar PV industry has a record of strong growth.

We outline that growth track record and the progressively reducing cost and price trend in industry.

This section also shows the market shares of the largest solar cell manufacturers in the industry.

Fast Facts Industry

If you are looking for some simple statistics about the solar industry, this is the best section for you.

If you are interested in the most active solar PV markets, we have pages devoted to the top three countries: Japan, Germany, and the USA.

Distributed Generation

The question is often asked how does solar compare with other Distributed Generation technologies.

We have a page which provides an overview of the comparison of solar energy with other energy sources including Fuel Cells, Microturbines and Wind Energy.

Solar Electricity Pricing

The "unit of currency" in the solar PV industry is "price per watt peak". This is a measure under standard light conditions to measure electric output at a single point in time.

To translate in to an energy measure most commonly utilized with other energy sources, we operate a Solar Electricity Index which is based on cents per kilowatt hour.

This is the usual way that most consumers pay for electricity.

In the case of solar electricity, this rate will vary according to the assumptions used. The most important are the sun hours (for the location in question), the discount rate applied over the life of the solar electric system (typically 20 years or more) and the price paid for the equipment.