Demand for solar energy projects will become more diverse next year, according to an analyst with Kaufman Bros., with emerging markets seeing an expansion while established markets like Germany cool, The Associated Press reports.
Enfield’s STR Holdings is a major manufacturer of solar components in Connecticut, selling domestically and internationally. The state government also is mulling a new charge on electric bills to provide credits to install more solar systems on commercial and governmental buildings.
Germany has installed solar panels at a rapid pace thanks to an aggressive subsidy program that pays homeowners and businesses above-market rates for energy they generate from solar. But the subsidies will drop 13 percent starting Jan. 1, analyst Jeffrey Bencik notes.
Bencik said that Germany will account for a reduced 40 percent of world demand in 2011, but that will be offset by growth in the U.S., Italy, France, the Czech Republic and others countries. The global demand for the solar market should grow 20 percent next year to 17.7 gigawatts.
New solar projects also have been announced in India, China and the United Kingdom, and Bencik expects the market will continue to grow “as the cost of solar continues to decline versus traditional means of electricity production.”
The U.S. is expected to make up 11 percent of the global market, followed by Italy (8 percent), China (6 percent), Japan (5 percent), Spain (5 percent) and France (5 percent).
