Five countries that have switched to solar energy

These five countries are in first place in terms of the use of solar energy for their infrastructure. The benefits of using solar panels are many. These are the low operating costs, the reliability of this power supply, and the independence from fossil fuels.

A nuclear reactor produces an average of 1.3 GW of electricity per year. One gigawatt is equal to one million kilowatts. And the countries on our list provide at least 10 GW of solar energy per year. For reference, about 10 kilowatts of solar energy is enough to provide an average private house with energy for a year. And 10 GW of solar power is enough to power 100,000 homes a year.

5 PHOTOS

1. Japan: 10 GW.

Japan has been using solar energy for over 10 years. Japan also became the first country to reach the production of 1 GW of solar energy per year. The use of solar photovoltaic systems and inverters began as early as 1994.

2. USA: 10 GW.

The US hit the 10GW solar milestone in 2013. Today in the US, solar panels power Walmart and IKEA. By the way, Walmart has reduced electricity costs by more than a million dollars by switching to solar energy. Also in the United States is the world's largest solar power plant, located in the Mojave Desert. The Aiwonpa TPPP provides electricity to more than 140,000 homes in California.

3. China: 12 GW.

China broke the 10 GW mark in 2013 and even overtook the US. Today, China is the world's largest producer of solar panels.

4. Italy: 16.7 GW

Italy passed the mark of 9 GW in 2010 and continued to increase these figures. The rapid transition to solar energy and its spread can be explained by the fact that the country does not have fossil fuel resources and is forced to rely on purchased natural gas. Therefore, the transition to solar energy is quite logical. And the solution turned out to be very successful.

5. Germany: 34.8 GW

Germany has long been a world leader in the use of solar energy. For one day in 2012, more than half of the country was powered solely by solar panels. Another record was set in 2013 when 5.1 5.1 terawatt-hours of electricity came from solar power alone.