Post #2820786
2026-02-23 14:12 UTC
@solar_chase@mastodon.green I remembered seeing a similar graph on Wikipedia a while ago, so went to have a quick look at what graphs their solar power article currently uses. Turns out their version of this graph only goes up to 2016:
https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Reality_versus_IEA_predictions_-_annual_photovoltaic_additions_2002-2016.png
They do also have a more up-to-date breakdown of installations, just without the comparison to earlier predictions. That one puts 2023 as just under 450GW (peak), citing BloombergNEF, which is even higher than the Information is Beautiful graph! Do you know what's going on with that?
https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:2007-_New_solar_installations_-_annually_by_country_or_region.svg
Replies (1)
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@solar_chase@mastodon.green 2026-02-23 15:52
@rachelplusplus@tech.lgbt yes, it's a very famous graph, I included it in my book for example... *New build* in 2023 was indeed about 444GW, then 2024 was about 592GW (higher! But definitely not well over 600GW). So the second chart on wikimedia is accurately citing my team's work, and is smart enough to timestamp the estimate as well - useful since estimates do fluctuate a little. I don't recognise the Info is Beautiful 'data' at all, it is highly suspect.