Trends in Photovoltaic Applications 2023 — Report IEA-PVPS T1-44:2023
About this book
Trends in Photovoltaic Applications 2023 — Report IEA-PVPS T1-44:2023, published by the International Energy Agency Photovoltaic Power Systems Programme (IEA-PVPS), is the 28th edition of the most authoritative annual survey of photovoltaic market development, deployment statistics, and technology trends worldwide. Compiled from data submitted by IEA-PVPS member countries covering over 95% of global installed capacity, the report provides the most comprehensive picture available of where and how solar PV is being deployed across the globe. The 2023 report opens with headline statistics of unprecedented scale: total globally installed PV capacity reached approximately 1.6 terawatts (TW) by end-2022, with annual additions of 239 gigawatts (GW) in 2022 — a record at that time, and nearly double the 139 GW installed in 2020.
Solar PV now represents the largest source of new electricity generation capacity added globally for the third consecutive year, outpacing wind, gas, and all other sources combined in terms of annual additions. The report examines the distributed versus utility-scale split in global PV deployment. Utility-scale ground-mounted systems continue to dominate new capacity additions in China, the United States, India, and the Middle East, with single projects exceeding 1 GW in capacity now common.
Simultaneously, rooftop PV deployment is accelerating in Europe, Australia, and increasingly in Latin America, with the prosumer model (self-consumption with net metering or feed-in tariffs) driving residential adoption. Building-integrated photovoltaics (BIPV) receives dedicated analysis. The report examines the growing market for solar facade elements, roof tiles, and transparent glazing modules that serve architectural as well as energy functions.
BIPV capacity in IEA-PVPS member countries grew by approximately 15% in 2022, driven by net-zero building requirements and declining module costs. Grid integration challenges are addressed in depth: the management of high PV penetration in distribution networks, the growing role of residential and commercial battery storage in shifting generation to peak demand periods, and the interaction between PV deployment and hydrogen production through electrolysis as a long-term storage solution. The report provides country-specific data on installed capacity, annual additions, electricity generation from PV as a percentage of total consumption, policy frameworks, and market projections.
It concludes with a forward-looking analysis suggesting that the 4 TW cumulative milestone will be reached by 2025-2026 at current growth rates, with solar PV on track to become the world's largest source of electricity by 2035.