Power generation from solar PV increased by a record 270 TWh in 2022, up by 26% on 2021. Solar PV accounted for 4.5% of total global electricity generation, and it remains the third largest renewable electricity technology behind hydropower and wind.
In 2022, the global weighted average levelised cost of electricity (LCOE) from newly commissioned utility-scale solar photovoltaics (PV), onshore wind, concentrating solar power (CSP), bioenergy and geothermal energy all fell, despite rising materials and equipment costs.
In 2021, the world reached 920 GW of on-grid solar PV, 9 GW of off-grid solar PV, 522 GWth of solar thermal power and 6.4 GW of concentrated solar power (CSP). The last decade saw a surge in solar growth, with the global solar PV market increasing by 445%, raising from 30 GW in 2011 to 163 GW in 2021 .
Utility-scale PV is poised for growth in 2022, as projects delayed in 2021 owing to high equipment costs likely will be built in 2022, and more gigawatt-scale “mega energy bases” are scheduled for construction. China installed 13.2 GWdc in Q1 2022, a 148% increase, y/y.
It is seen that the global weighted-average LCOE of solar PV technology reduced by about 89 % from 0.445 USD/kWh in 2010 to 0.049 USD/kWh in 2022. It is noticeable that the LCOE of PV technology has dropped into the range of fossil fuel electricity costs since 2014.
During the period 2019–2021, solar energy expansion outpaced any other technology, with a compound annual growth rate of 21%. 2021 was also the first year when solar and wind together met more than 10% of the world's global power demand. Solar represents 3.7% of all generated electricity in 2021 and wind represents 6.6% .