The sun after a storm

An interesting report by the Swiss private bank Sarasin offers an optimistic vision of the solar energy market. The title - "Stormy weather will give way to sunnier periods" - says it all. The report takes all three branches of solar energy into account: photovoltaic, solar thermal, and concentrating solar power (CSP).

It also focuses special attention on thin-film technologies that require less material for manufacture and promise new expansion markets; their share will increase from the current 12% to 23% in 2012, also because their relatively low efficiency (7-11% less than other technologies) is offset by their lower costs.

Another important driver for the solar industry's development may be found in the countries of the Middle East and North Africa, which offer excellent conditions for producing electrical energy from solar sources thanks to the excellent solar radiation in the vast, sparsely populated areas that these countries possess.

According to Matthias Fawer, sustainability analyst for Sarasin & Co, large greenhouses using sea water for their crops could be coupled to photovoltaic plants to provide deserts with food, fresh water, and clean energy. The Sahara Forest project could combine large greenhouses with concentrating solar power (CSP), which uses mirrors to concentrate sunlight and produce heat and electrical energy.

The report estimates interesting figures for the global solar market in the years to come. Leaving aside the 2009 data excessively affected by the world's current economic and financial crisis, the market is expected to rebound starting in 2010, with average growth in the 2007-2012 period forecast to reach 48%. The Sarasin report predicts that by the crucial date of 2020, 125 GW of new photovoltaic systems will have been installed, for an average yearly growth equal to 28% in the 2012-2020 period.