According to estimates by SolarPower Europe, about 8GW of grid-connected solar power in the EU will be installed in 2018, a year-on-year increase of 36% compared with 5.9GW in 2017. The installed capacity of solar power generation across Europe is about 11GW, an increase of about 20% year-on-year.

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 SolarPower Europe CEO Walburga Hemetsberger said: “It is great to see Europe fully embrace solar again. Solar is the most popular energy source among EU citizens, both versatile and the cheapest source of electricity. As costs continue to fall, the long-term upward trend in solar in Europe is just beginning."

2018 brought many ups and downs for the PV industry, including Sections 201 and 301 of the U.S. Trade Act, China’s “531 New Deal”, India’s special protection tariffs, and the EU’s termination of the mortgage insurance program. Extreme uncertainty across the industry affects every link in the PV supply chain. However, overall market conditions will improve in 2019, with demand reaching new highs throughout the year.

In 2018, the development of China's photovoltaic industry has experienced a series of policy changes and the impact of various factors such as international trade frictions. Despite this, China's photovoltaic industry got rid of the adverse effects, innovated and developed, and maintained rapid growth. Against the background of problems such as abandonment of solar power and electricity curtailment, market disorder, lack of standardization standards, and subsidy arrears, my country's photovoltaic enterprises continue to seize the opportunity of "two-way development" in the domestic and overseas markets, and accelerate the shift from "scale first" to "quality, Efficiency first” shift.

In recent years, the development of China's photovoltaic industry has attracted worldwide attention. Large-scale industrial application and continuous strengthening of technology research and development have contributed to a substantial cost reduction. In 2007, the price of photovoltaic modules was about 30 yuan/watt, and in 2012, it dropped to about 10 yuan/watt. In 2017, the price has dropped to 2 Below RMB/Watt, roughly equivalent to doubling the cumulative installed capacity, the product cost is reduced by 35%. To a certain extent, this shows that the government's new energy subsidies are very effective. China's photovoltaic industry has grown from nothing to the world's largest scale and the most complete industrial chain.

It was learned from the China Photovoltaic Industry Association that in 2018, the total export value of domestic photovoltaic products (silicon wafers, cells, modules) reached 16.11 billion US dollars, the highest level after the "double reverse". Specifically, the export volume of each link exceeded that in 2017, of which the export volume of modules was about 41GW, a year-on-year increase of 30%, the highest increase in photovoltaic products.

It is reported that the International Energy Agency (IEA) pointed out in the "World Energy Outlook 2018" report released in London, England that the global energy structure is undergoing major changes - from electrification to continuous development toRenewable Energyexpansion, from turmoil in oil production to the globalization of gas markets, wind power andsolar energyPhotovoltaic60% of the increment.