The Photovoltaic Market and Future Trends
Photovoltaics — Technical, Economic, and Environmental Aspects

Photovoltaics have the greatest potential of all electricity sources worldwide. In fact, the land area required to meet current or future global electricity needs (between 30,000 TWh in 2025 and 100,000 TWh according to the most optimistic projections for 2050) is extremely small relative to the Earth’s total land area. Therefore, past and present controversies on this issue have no real basis and are more likely attributable to isolated mistakes in project siting or to lobbying against this energy source.

The market is now massive in many countries around the world and is expected to grow further in the coming years. It will also diversify, as photovoltaics are intended to be deployed on already developed land and must adapt in terms of products to these new applications. Ultimately, market projections range from 1 to 3 TW/year by 2050 and will depend on the decarbonization trajectory of...