Photovoltaics: The decade of acceleration after Paris

Ten years after Paris: photovoltaics is the technology that has accelerated the most

The Paris Agreement marked the start of a journey that, over the last decade, has seen photovoltaics become the renewable technology with the fastest growing rate worldwide .

Regulatory and climate change pressures have been accompanied by technological maturity that has reduced costs, expanded applications, and favored cross-sector diffusion, from large utility-scale parks to installations in industrial and commercial buildings.

In this scenario, solar is no longer a complementary element of the energy mix: it is one of the cornerstones of the new global electricity generation, with an installation rate that continues to exceed forecasts.

A Transition That Changes Geography: The Rise of Emerging Markets

The post-Paris decade has seen a significant expansion of the solar map. Alongside the historically leading countries, new players have emerged, driven by growing electricity demand and competitive costs, becoming the engines of the global expansion of photovoltaics .

These markets now represent a growing share of new installations, often with more flexible energy models and a focus on distributed solutions. For European operators, this development opens up opportunities for cooperation, technological development, and more integrated supply chains.

The energy system is electrifying: photovoltaics becomes infrastructure

The spread of photovoltaics is part of a broader transformation involving buildings, industry, and mobility. The electrification of consumption requires stable and abundant renewable generation, and solar responds with scalable solutions, integrated with storage, smart grids, and digital energy management systems.

In the HVAC industry, this shift is reflected in the growing synergy between photovoltaics, heat pumps, advanced control systems , and energy communities . The photovoltaic system is becoming part of the efficiency strategy, no longer just an isolated generator.

Remaining challenges: authorizations, networks, supply chain stability

Despite growth, significant obstacles remain:

• complex authorization procedures,
• need for more robust networks,
• limited availability of suitable surfaces,
• the need for resilient supply chains.

Global competition has reduced costs, but has also highlighted the need for solid, diversified and sustainable long-term industrial strategies.

For designers and energy operators, this means working on increasingly integrated photovoltaic solutions, attentive to system efficiency and designed to accommodate evolving energy policies.

Photovoltaic energy will emerge in the coming years as a mature, competitive, and central technology for achieving climate goals. The legacy of the Paris Agreement has generated a structural shift that is now guiding investments, innovation, and strategic decisions, making solar a cornerstone of the global energy transition.