Global solar capacity hits 2 TW

LONDON, Nov 7 (Reuters): Global solar capacity has reached a record 2 terawatts (TW) of capacity, with more added in the last two years than the previous 68 combined, exclusive data from the sector's global industry group shared with Reuters showed.

The updated figures have not previously been published, and the Global Solar Council said they give the fullest picture yet because they include small, rooftop installations often left out of official government data.

After the 2 TW milestone was breached this quarter, global solar capacity has become enough to power around 92 million U.S. households, the council said.

"Governments often don't have the full picture in terms of solar because they're often missing a lot of the small rooftop projects because they just never get registered anywhere in a lot of countries," Sonia Dunlop, CEO of the Global Solar Council, told Reuters in an interview..

The challenge now, she said, was to achieve 8 TW of installed solar power in total by 2030, which the data suggests is possible and would amount to more than half of the 11 TW of renewable capacity needed to achieve a U.N. goal set at climate talks in Dubai last year.