Spain’s National Energy Commission (CNE) this week estimated that about 3.1 gigawatts of solar power were connected to the grid from January through November 2008, said Gordon Johnson, head of the alternative energy research at Hapoalim Securities in New York City.
Since the Spanish program began, around 3.75 gigawatts have been installed there.
The 3.1-gigawatt number is an estimate, because only nearly 2 gigawatts worth of the installations have been registered with the government and connected to the grid. But the CNE expects the final number to be higher because it’s still collecting registration data.
At more than 3 gigawatts, the Spanish market growth far surpassed estimates by many analysts. Many had believed the country would only add around 1 gigawatts of new capacity in 2008.
– from greentechmedia. 16 Jan 2009