Solar electricity soaring

The amount of electricity generated by solar cells is rising rapidly, particularly in Germany.

The amount of electricity generated by photovoltaic cells harnessing the sun’s energy is growing by nearly 50% annually, according to a new report from Energy Business Reports.

Solar Photovoltaic Market Potential estimates that Germany, Japan, and the U.S. produce 78% of the world’s solar electricity. Germany expanded its solar-power output by a “startling” 152% in 2004, when photovoltaic energy production in both Japan and the U.S. grew by 27%, according to the report.

Building-integrated photovoltaics, which incorporate solar cells into basic construction materials, such as roofing and glass walls, are especially popular in Europe and Asia, according to the report. They are “beginning to gain traction” in the U.S., it finds.

The report predicts that growth rates internationally for photovoltaics will remain at 15–20% over the next decades.