According to new data from the SolarSuperState, Liechtenstein (with some 700 Watt per capita) leads the world in renewable energy installations through solar photovoltaics. This is followed by Australia and Germany.
Australia climbed from fifth to second place in the latest ranking, overtaking the Vatican City State, Japan, and Germany and now produces 179 Watt per capita per year.
The reasons for countries losing their higher rank are manifold. In Japan, too much solar energy would disrupt the Japanese Government‘s plans for new coal-fired power plants. In Belgium, the government’s plans to expand atomic energy is slowing the expansion of solar energy. Germany‘s downgrade is the result of numerous new policies in the Renewable Electricity Feed-In Law.
Pep Puig i Boix, board member of the SolarSuperState Association, said the minimum net annual photovoltaic additions in industrialised countries should be 500 Watt per capita per year.
“That is why anything less is a climate policy failure and non-compliance with the 2015 Paris Agreement.
Rank, State, Cumulative installed capacity photovoltaics, W/c (Net annual additions in 2019, W/c/year)
- Liechtenstein 712 (+49)
- Australia 639 (+179)
- Germany 590 (+56)
- Japan 500 (+56)
- Vatican City 490 (+0)
- Netherlands 406 (+143)
- Belgium 403 (+54)
- San Marino 360 (+55)
- Italy 346 (+13)
- Malta 298 (+33)
- Switzerland 290 (+36)
