This is the ninth annual Australian Centre for Advanced Photovoltaics (ACAP) report, with activities supported by the Australian Government through ARENA.
Report extract
Solar photovoltaics involves the generation of electricity directly from sunlight when this light shines upon solar cells packaged into a solar module. Silicon is the most common material used to make these photovoltaic cells, similarly to its predominant role in microelectronics, although several other photovoltaic materials are being actively investigated.
Despite the ongoing impact of the Coronavirus pandemic, 2021 was another big year both for ACAP and the national and international photovoltaic industry. The pace of solar adoption accelerated with over 190 gigawatts of photovoltaic systems installed globally, the equivalent in capacity to 190 large nuclear or coal-fired plants. Australia reinforced its position as the largest user per capita, with over 25-Ggigawatts accumulated installations, certain to be the first country surpassing an installed capacity of 1,000 watts/capita. Solar’s contribution to electricity generation in the Australian National Electricity Market increased to 12.2%, averaged over 2021.
