According to the Clean Energy Trends 2014 report issued by clean-tech research and advisory firm Clean Edge, Inc., 2013 marked a significant transition in the history of clean energy: for the first time since Clean Edge began tracking global markets in 2000, the world installed more new solar PV generating capacity, 36.5 gigawatts, than wind power (35.5 GW). Record levels of new solar deployment in China, Japan, and the U.S. combined with a down year in the wind industry to create this unprecedented crossover.
According to the report, the global solar market’s continued double-digit growth of 15 percent, plus a modest uptick in biofuels’ market size, was not enough to overcome the wind industry’s lackluster performance. As a result, combined global revenue for solar PV, wind power, and biofuels held nearly steady at $247.6 billion, down just slightly from $248.7 billion in 2012.
To read the Clean Edge article, click here.
To download the free Clean Energy Trends 2014 report, click here.