The line chart depicts the consumption of solar power in the USA, Germany, Japan and China over a period of 20 years.
Overall, solar power consumption increased substantially in the USA and China, although China’s growth was particularly dramatic after 2005. Japan’s use decreased gradually and Germany’s remained relatively stable.
The United States was the biggest consumer of solar energy in 1995 with just below 8,000 and increased consistently every year to around 18,000 in 2015. In contrast, China was the lowest overall user at the start of the period at around 1,000, but steadily increased to just over 2,000 over the next 10 years, before increasing consumption dramatically to become the second highest consumer with nearly 11,000 in 2015.
Japan’s consumption stood at around 6,000 at the beginning of the period and declined gradually year on year to just below 4,000 in 2015. Germany’s figure hovered between approximately 2,000 and 3,000 throughout the entire period.