0.5MW solar power plant on Mont Soleil in Switzerland Photo: The total area of 4500 square meters of silicon solar cells produces 630 000 kWh/year - which is enough to supply about 200 Swiss homes. Even in the UK with its short summers and cloudy skies the amount of irradiation from the sun per square meter and year is not much smaller when compared to other countries like Germany and the Netherlands. Nevertheless, up to now solar energy in the UK has not come to the same full bloom as we see it in comparable neighbour countries. The greatest challenges for those working to build the solar market in the UK are to: apply the lessons from abroad. educate about the technology and its wide reaching application potential. challenge the general perception that solar cannot work in cloudy Britain. change the value placed on solar. The country with the highest installed solar electricity capacity in Europe is Germany. From 1998 to 1999, the annually installed capacity rose from 12 to 15 MW - a 25 per cent increase. That brings the total installed capacity in Germany to approximately 70 MW. In an international context, only Japan and the USA have a clear lead. Solar Electricity capacity installed in Europe in MW, (1998/99): Country Power/MW Japan 133 USA 100 Germany 70 Sources: Image of Mont Soleil Info on UK Info on Germany, Japan, USA