China
China is number one in the world for installation of solar power. This is simply because China has a large population of people and always looks for a way to save money for the country.
The United States is second in the world for installing solar panels. It has the same goals as China, but has fewer people in the country.
Germany is third in the world for installing solar panels. It also has the same goals as China and the US, but has a much smaller population.
Japan is fourth in the world for installing solar panels. While it has a bigger population than the US, it is a smaller country and has the same goals.
The United Kingdom is fifth in the world for installing solar panels. This is because it has a smaller population than either the US or Germany, but has the same goals.
Italy is sixth in the world for installing solar panels. This is because it has a population around the same size as the US and Germany, but also has the same goals.
India
India is currently ranked at the 7th Most Solar Power Capacity in the World.
In 2008, India installed its first solar grid connected photovoltaic module in the village of Reedy in the state of Rajasthan.
In 2015, after the Paris Agreement, India gave an ambitious plan to install 175GW of solar power by 2022, out of which 100GW will be based on rooftop solar power.
Recently, CEAT announced its first solar module plant in Rajasthan with an investment of Rs. 250 crore, setting a green energy target of 5 GW by 2022.
The State Government of Andhra Pradesh has already allotted 4,000 acres and has invited investors to contribute to the already existing 50MW of cumulative solar power capacity.
After the new government took charge in 2014, the Ministry of New and Renewable Energy (MNRE) announced a new National Solar Mission (NSM) program aiming to increase the solar power capacity target from 20 GW to 100GW by 2022. The target for rooftop solar power alone was increased from 20 GW to 100 GW, enough to meet the total projected demand for electricity in India in 2022. The program also plans to double the installed capacity of solar photo voltaic power to more than 10GW by 2018.
The government has set a target to achieve an ambitious program of generating 100 GW of solar power and 60 GW of wind power by 2022.
The United States of America
Japan
Japan is one of the world’s leading countries when it comes to solar power use, installing 3.6 gigawatts of solar panels in 2013 alone. While the price per watt of solar cells is still a bit high in Japan, the government has begun subsidizing the price and is hoping to reduce production costs and create more sustainable cities.
Australia
·Australia is the biggest country in Oceania, and is located in the Southern Hemisphere. The country runs on an eastern time zone and is divided into six states and two mainland territories. The population of Australia, which ranks as the sixth most populated country, is estimated at 22.4 million people. The country is resource rich, thanks to its abundant deposits of mineral, energy, and industrial resources, and has the world’s 12th largest economy by GDP (nominal).
Australia has over 1,300 sunshine hours per year, making it the second sunniest country in the world. It is estimated that in 2012, Australia generated 79,220 GWh (gigawatt hour) of electricity from solar energy. That accounts for 48.5% of the country’s total renewable energy generation.
In 2010, Australia created the Renewable Energy Target, which requires retailers and electricity suppliers to source 40% of their electricity from renewable sources by the year 2022.
The target is not only a national initiative, but one shared among the six states and two mainland territories. Currently, three states and two territories have already met their initial target. The states of Tasmania, South Australia, New South Wales, and Queensland have already reached their targets, with Victoria set to meet its target in 2012.
Germany
Germany is among the top countries of the world in terms of Photovoltaic (PV) use. The country has in excess of 40 GW of total PV installed capacity by year end 2010. This covers around 18 percent of the nation's electricity needs. In addition, the country has installed, 500 million Euros worth of solar thermal collectors. The country is expected to expand its PV capacity to three times its current size by 2015.
Mexico
3% of all electricity generated in Mexico is solar. That may not seem like a lot, but it’s a total of 8.17 GW of solar—more than some countries produce as a whole. The country has long been forced to import fossil fuels to meet some huge demand for power, and that’s still happening in some areas. However, the government has set a goal for 35% solar and wind contribution for the country by 2024.
France
France is the European Union country that gets the most hours of sunshine per year, so it’s no surprise that the country also leads the EU in solar energy generation. 41.7 gigawatts of solar energy is produced in France, which comes to 44 percent of all solar energy in the EU. The country is serious about solar as it targets solar will supply 16 percent of overall electricity by 2022.
Turkey
Turkish people use more solar power energy than people of any other country in the world. The average number of solar panels installed in a Turkish home is around 10, which is more than twice as many of the 4.7’s that European Union countries install. This is mostly due to the government’s support of using renewable energy.
With more than 80,000 solar power installations, Turkey is also leading in the world when it comes to total solar power capacity.
Turkey is also building solar power plants in other nearby countries. Many consider this an act of international environmentalism, however, some see it as an attempt to damage their economy.
Spain
The sunny country had 20.03 Gigawatts/Gw of solar energy installed as of the end of 2015. It has been a leader in Europe in solar energy investment for the past decade.With large land and sun resources, Spain has a goal of producing 20GW of solar power by 2022, representing a 700% increase in solar capacity.