Solar Reigns in Italy and Spain!
Posted by Damien Cabral on Thu, Aug 20, 2009
I just returned from a trip to Italy and Spain and was very excited to see the progress these countries have been making in adopting solar power. Barcelona recently installed the largest urban solar PV panel in the world. This panel is rated at 1,250 kWh (typical home is 2 to 5 kWh) and is 10,500 square meters in size – quite a sight!
We took a train through the countryside in central Italy and there were solar panels on many of the houses. European countries have continued to support the solar industry (while incentives in the US were dropped in the 80’s). The result is a more advanced solar industry and wider acceptance by the general public.
Now that solar incentives have been extended for eight years, we in the US now have the opportunity to develop a more cost efficient and technologically advanced industry. Wider acceptance will help drive down the cost and help to wean us off of fossil fuels, just as Europe has been doing for the past 30 years!