Wiki-Solar, an online solar database, published a list of the world’s top 19 utility-scale solar developers this week. The data, which compiles project developers’ total global output as of the third quarter of 2023, shows that a growing number of projects are being built in Spain.
“The recent pace of deployment in Spain is sensational,” Wiki-Solar founder Philip Wolfe said. “This is almost entirely unsubsidized projects – showing how competitive solar has become.”
There are 546 solar plants operating in Spain, producing roughly 20.8 GW of energy as of the third quarter, according to Wiki-Solar. Major project developers operating in the Mediterranean country include Enel Green Power, run by Spanish utility Endesa, as well as independent power producers such as X-Elio and Naturgy.
According to Wiki-Solar, this means that Spain is closely following PV’s three big international players – China, the United States and India, with project developers reaping the rewards.
“Spain held [the] top position in the world between 2007 and 2011 on the back of its generous feed-in tariff scheme,” the report said. “When this was controversially dismantled, the country slid down the table to No. 7 in 2017-18. It is now back up to No. 4 with a lot of clear water ahead of the chasing pack led by Germany.”
Wiki-Solar acknowledges that there will be “some omissions” from the top 19 developer listings. This is because the website’s database only records roughly 88% of projects. It said that its figures could be understated by an average factor of 1.1.
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