What Countries Produce The Most Solar Energy?

Although there is still much that can be done to harness the power of that great fireball in the sky, certain countries have led the way in absorbing the sun’s energy and using it as a sustainable source of electricity. The sun, by all indications, isn’t going anywhere anytime soon.

Along with China, India, Japan, and Vietnam, the United States has made gains in placing itself as a leader in solar energy generation throughout the years. Although solar power was originally thought to be a niche sector, these countries are demonstrating that this renewable energy source is a viable alternative to fossil fuels.

China is the world’s leading solar energy generator, with more than 30.1 GW of photovoltaic (PV) capacity installed in 2019. Next on the list of top solar producers are the United States, India, Japan, and Vietnam.

While China’s PV market share was 27 percent in 2019, it was much lower than China’s market share of 51 percent in 2017. China’s market supremacy is being challenged by a record number of new nations growing their PV capacity.

\Many great tales from the Middle East and Africa have emerged in the renewable energy business in recent years, and while they didn’t make the top 5, they’re absolutely worth mentioning.

Egypt is making incredible progress toward a national objective of renewable energy accounting for 42% of the country’s energy resources by 2035. Morocco is also on track to fulfill its 2020 objective of renewable energy sources accounting for 42 percent of total power generation, a goal that has been raised to 52 percent by 2030.

To lessen the country’s reliance on natural gas, Oman wants 10% of its energy production to come from “clean” sources by 2025. Saudi Arabia’s first large-scale solar project, Sakaka, is expected to generate 300 MW, and the UAE has set a national goal of generating 44% of its energy from renewables, primarily solar, by 2050. Because they are perhaps the driest and sunniest places on the planet, these nations are poised to rise to the top of the global solar power leaderboard in the coming years.

Solar energy may be collected in a variety of ways. Photovoltaic solar panels are the most frequent method. Photovoltaic (PV) devices use semiconductors to generate power directly from sunlight. Photons impact and ionize semiconductor material on the solar panel as the silicon photovoltaic solar cell absorbs solar energy, causing electrons to break free of their atomic bonds. A flow of electrical current is created when electrons are compelled to move in one direction. Only a portion of the light spectrum is absorbed, while the rest is reflected, too faint (infrared), or generates heat rather than electricity (ultraviolet).