Countries at the cutting edge of solar energy technology

The United States is not the main user of solar energy for a very obvious reason: they can still afford to buy fossil fuels in the international market. In other countries, the price of oil in the United States is ten times higher and it is sometimes better to opt for the alternative. Today, more and more countries are considering solar energy as the main source of energy. Several countries can be considered to be at the forefront of solar energy technology.

Germany is the first use of solar energy. It represents nearly 50% of the global photovoltaic cell market. Nowhere else in the world will you find the largest number of homes with solar panels installed on their roofs. Germany passed the Renewable Energy Act (EEG) in 2000. This law certainly helped the Germans to feel the need to use renewable energy.

According to statistics, the Germans have invested nearly 5 billion US dollars in solar photovoltaic systems and have contributed significantly to the growth of the solar energy market. Although most of the things we see are solar panels, this does not mean that the German solar industry is not limited to the production of photovoltaic cells for electricity. Other notable uses in Germany include solar panels for the domestic water heating system. Some news indicates that the German solar hot water market is worth $ 1.5 billion a year.

Arnstein's Solar Park in Bavaria, Germany, is one of the largest photovoltaic power plants in the world. It became operational in 2006 and with more than 1,400 photovoltaic solar panels, it can produce 12 megawatts of energy.

The second largest country in terms of use of solar energy is Spain. The use of solar energy in the country, especially photovoltaic cells, accounts for 27% of the global market. Spain has no sign of slowing down its aggressive and proactive approach to solar energy. Solar fields are under construction. One of the most recent is the 60 MW solar field located in Olmedilla de Alarcón, near Cuenca.

There are other large solar power plants in Spain, including the solar park located 20 km from Salamanca in Salamanca, Spain, which has 70,000 photovoltaic panels divided into three networks of 36 hectares. The bays produce 13.8 megawatts and have powered approximately 5,000 homes since it opened in 2007.

And the rest of the world follows Germany and Spain. Japan and the United States still hold a share of the global photovoltaic market. Both countries have a market share of 8%, far from Germany and Spain. Nevertheless, it is very important that countries continue to improve their status in the global solar energy market.

Alegeria, Australia, Italy and Portugal are other remarkable countries that use solar energy. In addition to rich European countries, the people of Israel and India realize the importance of having alternative energy sources.

These are the countries at the forefront of solar energy technology. But other countries are catching up. The Israeli government, for example, required all residential buildings  to install   solar water heating systems in the early 1990s. Today, companies such as hotels and office buildings are trying to use energy. solar energy instead of using fossil fuels whose prices continue to climb the global market.