International Energy Agency’s Photovoltaic Power Systems Programme

What International Energy Agency’s Photovoltaic Power Systems Programme does

The International Energy Agency's Photovoltaic Power Systems Programme (IEA PVPS) is an intergovernmental research cooperation programme established in 1993 under the IEA's Technology Collaboration Programme framework and headquartered in Paris, France. It operates as a non-profit multilateral collaboration among 29 member countries and organizations spanning Europe, Asia-Pacific, the Americas, Africa, and the Middle East, conducting joint research on the application, deployment, and performance of photovoltaic solar energy systems. The programme is governed and funded through member country contributions within the OECD/IEA institutional framework, with a small core staff of 1-10 coordinating activities.

IEA PVPS delivers its work through 10+ specialized research tasks covering market analysis (T01), sustainability and recycling (T12), reliability and performance (T13), building-integrated photovoltaics (T15), solar resource assessment (T16), PV for transport and vehicle-integrated PV (T17), off-grid systems (T18), grid integration (T19), hydrogen energy hubs (T20), and an Agrivoltaics Action Group. Its core outputs are published research products distributed as free downloadable PDFs: annual Snapshot of Global PV Markets reports, the Trends in PV Applications series (published consecutively since 1996), National Survey Reports for each member country, Fact Sheets, Technical Reports, and consolidated annual publications such as IEA PVPS Country Updates and IEA PVPS Insights. Distribution occurs through the iea-pvps.org website, a quarterly newsletter, conferences such as EU PVSEC, and X (Twitter).

IEA PVPS does not generate commercial revenue and does not sell products or services. Its "customers" are governments, policymakers, PV industry stakeholders, and academic researchers who consume its published intelligence for policy development, market analysis, technology assessment, and standards-setting. Stakeholders are organized around three primary segments: government policymakers and public authorities, PV sector companies and industry associations, and research institutions/academia. The programme tracks over 1.6 TW of global operational PV capacity across its member countries, representing the majority of worldwide PV deployment and approximately 8.3% of global electricity demand.

Name

International Energy Agency’s Photovoltaic Power Systems Programme

Legal name

IEA Photovoltaic Power System Programme

Website

https://iea-pvps.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1993

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

IEA PVPS is an intergovernmental research cooperation programme under the IEA, founded in 1993, that conducts collaborative PV solar energy research across 29 member countries and publishes market analyses, technical reports, and policy guidance for governments, industry, and academia.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Renewable Energy Research

NAICS

Solar Electric Power Generation (221114)

SIC

Electric Services (4911)

akta.pro primary industry

Solar Project Development & IPP (Utility-Scale & Rooftop) (EUAMABAA)

akta.pro secondary industry

Incentives, Grants & Program Administration (Auctions, Tenders, IRA/ITC/PTC Advisory) (EUAMAAAJ)

Keywords

• Photovoltaic solar research
• PV market analysis
• Renewable energy policy
• Solar energy reports
• International energy cooperation

Headquarters

HQ city

Paris

HQ country

France

HQ region

Europe

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Technology or R&D, Operations, Others

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

IEA PVPS is an intergovernmental research cooperation programme that conducts collaborative research on photovoltaic solar energy and publishes standardized global PV market analyses, national survey reports, technical reports, and fact sheets. It operates through multiple research Tasks (T01, T12, T13, T15, T16, T17, T18, T19, T20, and an Agrivoltaics Action Group) covering market analysis, sustainability, reliability, BIPV, solar resource, transport, off-grid, and grid integration. Outputs are freely distributed as downloadable PDF publications through the programme website.

Product overview

IEA PVPS is a research and collaboration programme under the International Energy Agency that publishes comprehensive reports, market analyses, and technical guidance on photovoltaic solar energy. The programme operates through multiple Tasks (T01-T20) focused on specific PV domains including market analysis, sustainability, reliability, building-integrated PV (BIPV), solar resource assessment, PV for transport, off-grid systems, and PV integration. Its product portfolio consists primarily of published research outputs including annual Snapshot reports, Trends reports, National Survey Reports, Technical Reports, and Fact Sheets. Task 17 specifically addresses PV for transport including solar-powered EV charging infrastructure and vehicle-integrated PV (VIPV) systems. Task 15 focuses on BIPV products and their integration into buildings. All outputs are published as downloadable PDF reports with no SaaS product or API offering.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Snapshot of Global PV Markets Reports Annual preliminary assessments of global PV market developments providing estimated capacity data for countries reporting to the IEA PVPS Programme, issued before the full Trends report.
• Trends in PV Applications Reports Annual comprehensive global overview of photovoltaic sector development covering policies, drivers, technologies, statistics and industry analysis, published consecutively since 1996.
• National Survey Reports Annual country-specific reports providing detailed analysis of PV market developments, installation data, policy frameworks, and industry trends across member countries.
• Technical Reports In-depth research publications from specific Tasks addressing technical aspects of PV systems including performance, reliability, sustainability, grid integration, and specialized applications.
• Fact Sheets Condensed summary documents distilling key findings and highlights from major reports for quick reference on specific PV topics and market segments.
• Task 17 - PV & Transport Research Programme Research programme focusing on integration of PV with transport sector including solar-powered EV charging stations, vehicle-integrated PV (VIPV), and disaster zone energy applications.
• Task 15 - BIPV Research Programme Research programme on Building Integrated Photovoltaics providing analysis of standards, business models, innovation systems, and training activities for solar architecture.
• Task 13 - Reliability and Performance Research Programme Research programme addressing PV project quality decisions, performance assessment, digitalization, extreme weather impacts, and second-life module reliability.
• Task 12 - PV Sustainability Research Programme Research programme covering PV module recycling, sustainability standards, circular economy, and eco-design considerations for end-of-life PV management.
• Annual Reports (Country Updates and Insights) Yearly programme reports including Country Updates providing PV development overviews across member countries and Insights reports compiling annual research outputs.

Quantifiable outcome

• IEA PVPS annual reports track over 1.6 TW of global operational PV capacity and provide market data from 29 member countries representing the majority of worldwide PV deployment
• +1 more outcomes

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature8 records

Partnerships

Three partnerships are on record, tiered core and major.

• IEA (International Energy Agency)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerIEA PVPS operates as a Technology Collaboration Programme (TCP) within the International Energy Agency framework. The IEA provides institutional oversight, administrative support, and international coordination mechanisms. The programme contributes to IEA's mission of ensuring reliable, affordable, and clean energy while focusing specifically on photovoltaic solar energy systems.
• 29 Member Countries and OrganizationscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerMember countries (Australia, Austria, Belgium, Canada, China, Denmark, EU, Finland, France, Germany, India, Israel, Italy, Japan, Korea, Lithuania, Malaysia, Morocco, Norway, Portugal, SERIS, SolarPower Europe, South Africa, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Thailand, Netherlands, Türkiye, UK, USA) participate in collaborative research tasks, share national PV data, and contribute expertise to programme activities. Each country designates national experts who participate in specific research tasks.
• EU PVSEC (European Photovoltaic Solar Energy Conference)majorStrategic or Co-development PartnerIEA PVPS organizes workshops at EU PVSEC, the largest European PV research conference. Tasks 12, 16, and 17 host workshops at EU PVSEC 2026 in Rotterdam, facilitating knowledge exchange between programme researchers and the broader PV research community.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Broad incumbents

• International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA): IRENA is the primary intergovernmental organisation dedicated to renewable energy broadly. It overlaps with IEA PVPS on global PV statistics, policy analysis, and capacity tracking, and serves a similar government and institutional audience, though its mandate spans all renewables rather than just PV.
• BloombergNEF: BloombergNEF is the leading commercial provider of energy transition research with frequent, paid PV market forecasts and country-level data. It competes with IEA PVPS for the attention of corporate strategy and investment professionals who need timely, granular PV intelligence.
• Wood Mackenzie: Wood Mackenzie provides paid commercial research on global power markets including PV. Its country-level outlooks and competitive intelligence overlap with IEA PVPS market reports, particularly for investors and developers needing decision-grade data.

Direct peers

• IEA Wind Technology Collaboration Programme: IEA Wind is a sister IEA Technology Collaboration Programme with the same institutional structure, member-country model, and task-based research approach as IEA PVPS, but focused on wind energy. The two programmes frequently collaborate and serve analogous functions for their respective technologies.
• International Solar Alliance (ISA): ISA is an intergovernmental alliance focused specifically on solar energy deployment, with a member-state model similar to IEA PVPS. It publishes market analyses, policy guidance, and country reports on solar PV, directly overlapping with PVPS's market analysis and policy support mandate.
• Fraunhofer Institute for Solar Energy Systems (ISE): Fraunhofer ISE is one of Europe's leading PV research institutes, producing the widely cited 'Photovoltaics Report' and detailed market data. It overlaps with IEA PVPS's Task 13 (reliability and performance) and Task 1 (market analysis) outputs.
• SolarPower Europe: SolarPower Europe is an industry association representing the European PV value chain and is itself a member of IEA PVPS. It publishes the annual EU Global Market Outlook for Solar Power, which directly competes with PVPS's Trends and Snapshot reports for industry mindshare.
• National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL): NREL is the US national laboratory for renewable energy and energy efficiency research. It produces detailed PV performance, cost, and market analyses and collaborates with IEA PVPS through US participation, making it a complementary but also partially overlapping research provider.

Regional players

• Solar Energy Industries Association (SEIA): SEIA is the US national PV industry association, publishing US-focused market reports and policy analysis. While more US-centric than IEA PVPS, its market intelligence work is comparable in purpose to PVPS National Survey Reports.

Emerging players

• European Solar Manufacturing Council (ESMC): ESMC represents European PV manufacturing interests and publishes policy and market analysis on European PV supply chains. It is smaller and more specialised than IEA PVPS but addresses overlapping audiences in European PV market and policy analysis.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/IEA_PVPS
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/iea-photovoltaic-power-systems-programme

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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Frequently asked questions about International Energy Agency’s Photovoltaic Power Systems Programme