The future of global PV markets under the spotlight at the Intersolar Europe Conference

Photovoltaics is increasingly becoming a real alternative to nuclear power around the world. By 2011, Japan had 54 nuclear reactors providing around 30% of the country's electricity. The last one of these 54 reactors has been taken offline at the beginning of May this year, and it is difficult to say how many of the shutdown reactors will be going back online. If the Japanese government have their way, photovoltaics (PV) will certainly contribute significantly to the energy supply in the future. Its dynamic development is already shining through, with newly installed photovoltaic capacity recently rising from 990 megawatts (MW) in 2010 to 1,296 MW in 2011. According to information from the European Photovoltaic Industry Association (EPIA), PV capacity could increase further to reach 28 gigawatts (GW) in total by 2020. The Japanese government aims to generate up to 40% of the country's power supply from renewable energy by 2030, with 53 GW set to come from photovoltaic installations alone.

The future potential of Asian markets, such as Japan, China, Thailand, Malaysia and Indonesia, is a key topic at the Intersolar Europe Conference. As part of the session Global PV Markets: Asia, industry insiders from local solar companies and associations provide information on the legal situation, economic climate and long-term future potential for photovoltaics in their respective countries. The “Global PV Markets: Asia” session takes place on June 12, 2012 from 10:00am to 12:10pm at the ICM (Internationales Congress Center München).

Other sessions shed light on PV markets in North America and Canada, Europe, India and the Middle East and North Africa (MENA region), as well as rural electrification in South America and Africa.