World has 100 GW of installed solar energy capacity

Installations in 2012 hit record high.

The world installed 31,100 MW of solar photovoltaics in 2012, an all-time annual high that pushed global PV capacity over100,000 MW

There is now enough PV operating to meet the household electricity needs of nearly 70 million people at the European level of use. The number of countries installing PV is also growing rapidly.

In 2006, only a few countries could boast solar capacity of 100 MW or more. Now 30 countries are on that list, which the International Energy Agency estimates will more than double by 2018.

Some 60% of PV is made in China compared to a decade ago when China produced almost no PV. Easy bank loans and government tax incentives and subsidies, however, caused China to move past PV technology pioneers the USA (in 2006) and Japan (in 2008).