<P> At the end of 2011, there were 230,000 solar power projects in the United Kingdom, with a total installed generating capacity of 750 megawatts (MW). By February 2012 the installed capacity had reached 1,000 MW . Solar power use has increased very rapidly in recent years, albeit from a small base, as a result of reductions in the cost of photovoltaic (PV) panels, and the introduction of a Feed - in tariff (FIT) subsidy in April 2010 . In 2012, the government said that 4 million homes across the UK will be powered by the sun within eight years, representing 22,000 MW of installed solar power capacity by 2020 . As of April 2015, PV capacity had risen to 6,562 MW across 698,860 installations . </P> <P> Sarnia Photovoltaic Power Plant near Sarnia, Ontario, was in September 2010 the world's largest photovoltaic plant with an installed capacity of 80 MW . until surpassed by a plant in China . The Sarnia plant covers 950 acres (380 ha) and contains about 966,000 square metres (96.6 ha), which is about 1.3 million thin film panels . The expected annual energy yield is about 120,000 MW h, which if produced in a coal - fired plant would require emission of 39,000 tonnes of CO per year . </P> <P> Canada has many regions that are sparsely populated and difficult to access, but also does not have optimal access to sunlight given the high latitudes of much of the country . Photovoltaic cells are increasingly used as standalone units, mostly as off - grid distributed electricity generation to power remote homes, telecommunications equipment, oil and pipeline monitoring stations and navigational devices . The Canadian PV market has grown quickly and Canadian companies make solar modules, controls, specialized water pumps, high efficiency refrigerators and solar lighting systems . Ontario has subsidized solar power energy to promote its growth . </P> <P> One of the most important uses for PV cells is in northern communities, many of which depend on high - cost diesel fuel to generate electricity . Since the 1970s, the federal government and industry has encouraged the development of solar technologies for these communities . Some of these efforts have focused on the use of hybrid systems that provide power 24 hours a day, using solar power when sunlight is available, in combination with another energy source . </P>

Who is the largest producer of solar energy