Global solar capacity forecast to add 5.5 GW in 09

* Global solar capacity to rise by 5.5 GW in 2009

* Big projects face funding problems

By Svetlana Kovalyova

VERONA, Italy, May 6 (Reuters) - Global capacity of photovoltaic (PV) which turns sunlight into electricity is expected to rise by 5.5 gigawatt (GW) in 2009 with growth pace slowed by recession, a senior industry expert said on Wednesday.

The global PV market added 5.5 GW of new capacity last year bringing total installed capacity to about 15 GW at the end of 2008, said the European Photovoltaic Industry Association (EPIA) which represents about 95 percent of Europe's PV industry.

"We could envisage another 5.5 GW of new installations in 2009," EPIA President Winfried Hoffmann told Reuters on the sidelines of a PV conference in northern Italy.

That would mean a decline in growth pace to just under 40 percent this year from 60 percent in 2008.

Industrial size PV projects which need considerable bank financing have been experiencing difficulties with access to credits, Hoffmann said.