Solar power is the fastest-growing renewable energy source in the world. But what country uses the most solar power? The leader in solar energy is China, at 306,973 MW total solar capacity, but that’s due to its colossal size; solar power accounts for only around 3.5% of total energy consumption.
China is the world's largest market for both photovoltaics and solar thermal energy. and in the last few years, more than half of the total PV additions came from the country.
Solar energy originates at the sun’s core, where it is generated by nuclear fusion, a process by which two light atomic nuclei collide to form a heavier one while releasing energy. In this instance, a process known as a PP (proton-proton) chain reaction unfolds in which protons of hydrogen atoms aggressively collide.
The United States conducted much early research in photovoltaics and concentrated solar power and is among the top countries in the world in deploying the technology, being home to 4 of the 10 largest utility-scale photovoltaic power stations in the world as of 2017.
One million megawatts! That may seem like a colossal amount, but world solar energy consumption has only reached around 3.63%. Solar energy is the most abundant energy resource on the planet — 173,000 terawatts of solar energy reaches the surface continuously. Fortunately, solar power growth worldwide has been steady and strong.
Photovoltaics (PV) were initially solely used as a source of electricity for small and medium-sized applications, from the calculator powered by a single solar cell to remote homes powered by an off-grid rooftop PV system. Commercial concentrated solar power plants were first developed in the 1980s.