Systematic analysis of factors affecting solar PV deployment

•Some factors that have driven PV deploymet were identified empirically as a result of this research with a holistic approach.•The number of scientific publications is significant for the deployment of installed PV capacity, with a lag time of eight years.•It was not found empirical evidence in this study about the impact of patents for the deployment of installed PV capacity over the period of analysis (1992–2011).

This article analyzes the determinants of annual installed capacity of photovoltaic power (PV) at a country level. Our results suggest that in the 15 countries studied, the factors promoting the deployment of PV systems are the net consumption of renewable electricity, the existence of a feed-in tariff and sustainable building requirements, as well as the quantity of scientific publications. Meanwhile, the variables that negatively impact the PV deployment are oil reserves and the carbon dioxide emissions from energy consumption. Based on data from 1992 to 2011, the analysis shows that the deployment of PV requires long-term support for scientific research. One successful policy for PV deployment has been the feed-in tariff. Sustainable building requirements also significantly support PV deployment. The deployment of PV is one step towards a low-carbon energy system but the emergence of any renewable energy technology must cope with the energy sector’s domination by fossil fuels interests.