Page 25 - ISES SWC50

From the early 1990’s, the IEA PVPS (Photovoltaic Power Systems) has provided annual data on PV
installations through its yearly Trend Reports. The highlights use this data to display tables showing the
growth in PV installations and where this growth has occurred. These tables demonstrate that during the
early days, the primary markets were Japan and USA, with Europe slowly growing. Then with the introduction
of the Renewable Energy Sources Act in Germany, by 2009 48% of all modules installed that year were
installed in Germany. The tables also show that in 2000, 80% of modules were manufactured in Japan (57%)
and USA (23%), with Europe at 15% and others 5%. By 2007 this had changed where USA was now 6%,
Japan 15%, Europe 29% and others 50% (mainly China). Due to the growth in manufacturing in China, by
2018 it had grown to be manufacturing 73% of modules, with 43% of these modules installed in China due
to various Chinese policies.

3.3 Solar Thermal
The first solar hot box collector was developed in 1767, while in the 1880’s solar collectors using reflectors
were developed for solar stoves. However, at the 1878 world fair in Paris Augustin Mouchot used a reflector
to create steam to drive a pump. By the 1890’s, commercial solar water heaters were being promoted in
California. Although panels were used in in the early 1900’s for heating air and water, it was from 1960
onwards the industry grew with manufacturing companies commercialising the products. The main market
was solar water heating, however the building/architecture section of this booklet also includes examples
of where solar heating panels were integrated with buildings. One market that grew as the 20 century
th
progressed was using solar thermal for industrial heating applications, and this has continued to grow over
the last 20 years.

The majority of individuals involved with the formation of the Alliance for Affordable Solar Energy
(AFASE) and the early days of SES and then ISES typically worked in the solar thermal field. However, ISES has
always had a very close working relationship with the IEA Solar Heating and Cooling (IEA SHC) programme
which began in 1977. Many current and past active board members of ISES have also been very active on the
various tasks within the IEA.

The solar thermal section includes data that has been collected by the IEA SHC. The highlights include
information on early uses of solar thermal and early events, but primarily focuses on listing the key developments
and projects that have been undertaken since the 1950’s .

3.4 Concentrating Solar Power (CSP)
The phenomena of heat being generated from sunlight reflecting off mirrors was first observed in the 3
rd
century, and in the 16 century Leonardo da Vinci developed drawings of applications using parabolic
th
dishes. The first record of a “solar powered” engine was in 1874, however it was not until the 1970’s when
the technology began to be employed in a larger scale.

The highlights mention the early events but mainly focus on listing the key projects that have been undertaken
since the 1970’s, in particular showing the rapid growth of systems in the last decade.

3.5 Solar Architecture and Buildings
The application of passive solar energy for buildings and cities goes back to the ancient times, and in particular
China, Greece and the Roman Empire. Individuals like Socrates identified that by having living spaces facing
the sun (that is South in Greece), houses can be warmer during the winter months. The highlights briefly
look at these early times, before moving forward to about the 1800’s when a number of architects were also
applying the same principles. The highlights provide some early examples of passive solar principles being
applied in buildings however, it would be fair to say that there are many undocumented uses of passive solar
applied by individuals around the world who have identified the advantages and principles.

ISES SWC50 - The Century of Solar-Stories and Visions | 7