Global Solar Power Capacity Set to Jump

By Svetlana Kovalyova

VERONA, Italy (Reuters) - The world's solar power generating capacity will grow by between 200 and 400 percent over the next five years, with Asia and other emerging markets overtaking leadership from Europe, a European industry association said on Monday.

Global installed photovoltaic (PV) capacity, which turns sunlight into power, is expected to have risen to between 207.9 gigawatts and 342.8 GW in 2016, depending on the level of political support, from 69.7 GW in 2011, the European Photovoltaic Industry Association (EPIA) said.

This year, the world's total PV capacity is expected to rise to between 90 and 110 GW, EPIA's Secretary General Reinhold Buttgereit told a PV conference in northern Italy.

"The growth will depend on the support of politicians. It's not only about money, it's also about reducing bureaucracy," Buttgereit told Reuters on the sidelines of the conference.

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