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The rise of the solar energy industry is astounding. Though virtually nothing in the early 2000s, the world’s solar capacity is now at 305 gigawatts. The countries taking the lead in this worldwide solar power surge are the United States and China, with the United Kingdom leading the rest of Europe.

 

A report compiled by SolarPower Europe notes that both the U.S. and China almost doubled the amount of solar energy they added in 2016 from 2015’s numbers. Just to give an example in the case of the U.S., the state of New York alone has increased its solar power use by more than 800 percent. The 49 other states are also contributing to the growth, with California dominating them all, boasting a 34 percent share of the U.S. market.

As for China, it’s now the world’s largest solar energy producer. Reports from China’s National Energy Administration (NEA) estimate that the country more than doubled its solar energy production in 2016. By last year’s end, China reached 77.42 gigawatts of solar, generating around 66.2 billion kilowatt-hours of power.

 

In Europe, despite suffering setbacks due to cuts in government incentives for solar adoption, the U.K. managed to increase its solar capacity by 29 percent, with Germany following at 21 percent and France with 8.3 percent.

Source: Futurism