From Guest Blogger Angie Mansfield: Five Countries Loving Solar Energy

Emitting no greenhouse gases, producing free energy (after the initial installation and maintenance costs), and providing a major portion of the jobs available in the green energy sector, solar technology has much to recommend it.

It’s no wonder, then, that many companies have embraced this form of energy.

Here are five of the top countries in terms of solar usage:

1. Germany

Far and away number 1 in the solar energy game, Germany gains a large percentage of its power from this technology.

Thanks to an excellent feed-in tariff that encourages green energy usage, along with a large number of experienced photovoltaic companies and financing options, solar has gained a major foothold in this country.

In 2012, Germany installed over 7,600 MW of new solar capacity, leaving its nearest competitor in the dust. And the country’s likely to hang onto its number one spot in years to come, due to its goal to use 100% renewable energy by 2050.

2. Italy

With plenty of sunshine available, solar energy is a natural fit for Italy. By 2009, the country was installing more solar power every two months than California was in a year. In 2012, Italy installed over 3,400 MW of new solar capacity.

The country also has strong renewable energy goals, which means a healthy outlook for solar energy in future years.

3. France

Thanks to another well-designed feed-in tariff that favors building-integrated photovoltaics, France has another healthy share of the European solar energy market.

One problem France faces, though, is the fact that it has many MW of solar energy installed, but has been slow to connect those systems to the grid. That skews its numbers a bit; in 2011, the country hooked up 1.6 GW of solar capacity to the grid, but most of those systems were installed in prior years.

The future looks bright for renewable energy in France, regardless of installation vs. connection issues. All new buildings are required to be self-sufficient in terms of energy consumption by 2020, so solar and other renewable energy sources are likely to get a boost.

4. Japan

Holding 7% of the world’s installed solar energy capacity as of 2011, Japan has been another country on board with this technology. In fact, Japan developed photovoltaic energy before it became a mainstream technology.

The March, 2011 disaster at the Fukushima nuclear facility caused a redefining of Japan’s renewable energy strategy. Their current target is 28GW of renewable energy installed by 2020, and by 2030, Japanese officials plan to meet 40% of the country’s energy demand with renewable energy. Solar will likely make up a major portion of that number.

5. United States and Spain

Each holding 6% of the world’s installed solar capacity, and very close in MW installed (4,383 for the US as of 2011; 4,400 in Spain), these two countries have been a bit slower to embrace solar but are still making progress.

In 2011, the U.S. developed its solar market evenly across the residential, commercial, and utility markets.

In Spain, the complex registration process and low feed-in tariff support level compared to other European countries has slowed the spread of solar energy.

While the country currently has the same share of the global solar capacity as the United States, it’s likely to fall behind in future years if it can’t sort out its regulatory difficulties.

About the Author: Angie Mansfield is a freelance writer covering a range of topics for consumers and small business owners, including how to choose the right invoice software.