The US generated 236.12TWh of power from solar sources last year, the highest among G7 countries, while in Germany over 12% of power was produced by solar, the highest percentage among all G7 countries, according to a study conducted by Independent Advisors Solar Panels, analysts from UK newspaper The Independent.
As of 2023, solar generated 236.12TWh of power in the US, increasing from 205.08TWh in 2022. Japan came second as solar generated 109.36TWh of power last year, up from 102.4TWh year-on-year, followed by Germany (61.56TWh in 2023 and 60.79TWh in 2022), Italy (31.01TWh in 2023 and 28.12TWh in 2022) and France (23.26TWh in 2023 and 19.64TWh in 2022).
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The UK was the only country in the G7 to experience a decrease in solar generation, dropping from 13.92TWh in 2022 to 13.51TWh in 2023.
In Canada, solar generated 7.48TWh of power in 2023, up from 6.01TWh in 2022, the most significant increase among all G7 countries.
In terms of electricity consumption in 2022, solar accounted for over 12.41% in Germany, followed by Japan (10.91%) and Italy (9.44%). Although solar generated 205.08TWh of power in the US in 2022, solar only accounted for 5.02% of the country’s domestic electricity consumption.
Recently, PV Tech covered the US Energy Information Administration’s (EIA) latest Short-term Energy Outlook, which expects solar to be the driving force behind a slight growth in the US’ total electricity generation capacity. The report’s authors expect US power generation capacity to grow by 3% in 2024, equal to 114 billion kWh, and a further 1%, equal to 33 billion kWh, in 2025.
The report also notes that the US is expected to add 37GW of new solar capacity this year, and that, by 2025, the country’s total solar generation will increase by a further 25%, equal to 58 billion kWh.
Solar accounted for less than 5% of domestic power consumption in the remaining G7 countries. In the UK, solar’s share was only 4.97%, ahead of France (4.62%) and Canada (1.04%).
“If solar storage technology, such as solar batteries, continues to improve and becomes more readily available, we could potentially see solar generation increase and begin to catch up with other electricity sources throughout G7 countries,” said Katharine Allison, an analyst at The Independent.
