Solar is so scalable, so versatile, that every single country in the world, every single human on the planet from the frozen North to the deepest rainforests, from the dry, arid plains of the Atacama to the buzzing metropolises of New York, Paris, São Paulo, Shanghai and Tokyo.
It is clear for all to see that we have entered a new era in global geopolitics, a new emphasis on security and a post-aid era. The paradigms that have persisted since 1945 are shifting fast.
The solar energy sector is deeply affected by that changing landscape. We are one of the most geopolitical of the energy technologies, and one with a huge role and responsibility to deliver sustainable, domestic power for development, resilience to climate impacts, and, most of all, cheap and clean power for economic growth and better quality of life.
Solar is one of the most critical technologies that can lead the energy transition and help keep us on a pathway to +1.5 – 2 C of global warming, if we unlock its full potential. Solar can deliver the competitive power needed to electrify and green our productive sectors, such as industries, commerce, agribusiness, and much more – the cheapest ever seen in the history of power generation, according to both respected market analysts and intergovernmental agencies.
Solar can deliver energy security. This will be a new, different type of energy security to countries that have been used to digging up or stockpiling and later burning or exporting their fossil reserves. It will be an energy security based on the sun that rises and falls every day, consistently and predictably. An energy security based on solar systems installed quickly, in modular blocks that fit the size of the needed electricity demand, and that remain there, quietly and robustly, for 25 years or more generating reliable clean power. It is an energy security of the supply of power itself, as a distributed solar and energy storage system can keep the lights on and the AC running better in times of natural disaster, extreme climate impacts or unexpected conflicts.
Solar is also the sector of the economy, thanks to being largely based in small and medium enterprises (SMEs), that can deliver high-quality jobs. Lots of them, and distributed all over the world, in every village, town, and city. Solar already provides jobs for more than 7million people around the world. It is estimated that between 70-90% of all those are local, in the installation of solar systems, engineering and design, local sales and many other. Every solar equipment, be it a PV module, an inverter, an energy storage unit (such as batteries to store the electricity generated during the day for use at night or whenever we may need), has to be sold, delivered, and installed with a pair of human hands. Bolted on to a racking on the roof, or screwed on to a mounting structure at ground level. That creates jobs – and lots of them.
Perhaps most importantly, solar and storage are fundamentally changing the game in terms of access to electricity in the developing world. The 700 million people that still don’t have access to electricity are now getting somewhere to charge their phone and laptop, power a small business or irrigate their fields, thanks to solar and storage. No more do we need to build huge grid pylons to power the tiniest community – a single truckload of solar lights, solar plus storage systems, a simple micro-grid, can do the job, faster, better and, given ample load shedding in some parts of the world, more reliably.
Even those of us who have worked in the sector for 20 years or more, are constantly surprised by how versatile this technology is becoming. A huge 8 GW large-scale solar power plant in the desert, powering a million or more homes? Sure. Floating solar on water reservoirs, lakes, and coastal waters? We can do that too. Mounted slightly higher over crops, to shade then just the right way and power agricultural activity? That works as well. A tiny solar system, as big as an iPad, to give you some light when it gets dark when you don’t have grid power? Absolutely – and 560 million people around the world are already benefiting from that at least once a week, according to GOGLA, the off-grid solar association. A single panel (or many) hung off a balcony? We have 400,000 of them installed in Germany already. On the wings of an airplane, to power a round the world flight? We’ve done that too, with the Solar Impulse plane in 2016. And we are about to do it again, this time powered by solar, battery storage, and green hydrogen.
Solar is so scalable, so versatile, that every single country in the world, every single human on the planet from the frozen North to the deepest rainforests, from the dry, arid plains of the Atacama to the buzzing metropolises of New York, Paris, São Paulo, Shanghai and Tokyo. Whatever your needs, large or small, solar plus storage is here to serve you. This is why solar PV is now delivering almost 700+ GW per year and counting, the fastest growing source of electricity in the history of humankind.
Challenges remain and new ones will exist, of course, for both solar and storage. The cost of finance remains stubbornly high in many developing markets, meaning that high CAPEX solar projects just don’t get built. We need risk mitigation mechanisms to address this, to make projects investment-ready. In parts of the world where solar has proven successful, we need to reform electricity markets and build more flexibility into systems, so that demand responds to market prices. In parts of the world where putting solar on your roof is a bureaucratic nightmare, we need to unburden solar from unnecessary approvals and red tape. Trade barriers, of all different varieties, artificially push up prices, making solar more expensive to end consumers than it should be in some markets.
If we get this right, by some estimates, solar could be powering half of the world’s electricity needs by 2035. We can, and should, install 8 TW of solar PV in total by 2030. The magic combination of solar with other renewables, short and long-duration storage, and system flexibility can save money, boost growth, attract local investment, create more high-quality local jobs, and deliver much-needed development. The opportunity is there for the taking – and we need our leaders, in governments, in regulation, in finance, and in global diplomacy, at COP30 and beyond, to recognize and act on it, as fast as we can.
Authors: Sonia Dunlop, CEO, Global Solar Council and Rodrigo Sauaia, CEO, ABSOLAR Brazil and Chair, Global Solar Council
The Global Solar Council (GSC) is the united voice of the solar industry worldwide. As a non-profit trade body, our vision is to create a fair and sustainable world with solar at the heart of a new energy economy. Driven by our passion for a cleaner, more just world, we work as a community to ensure everyone’s voices are heard, advocating for swift progress to be made in the battle for the climate. We advise governments on the pressing issues central to the solar transition, including finance, grids, skills and supply chains. Representing every part of the solar PV value chain, we provide our corporate members with policy advice, greater visibility for their brands, support for market expansion, and B2B and B2G networking. For our association members, GSC delivers international advocacy opportunities to solve challenges in their markets, policy briefings and an enhanced value proposition to their own members.
