The steady rise of solar photovoltaic (PV) power generation forms a vital part of this global energy transformation. In addition to fulfilling the Paris Agreement, renewables are crucial to reduce air pollution, improve health and well-being, and provide affordable energy access worldwide.
Solar energy is the radiation from the Sun capable of producing heat, causing chemical reactions, or generating electricity. The total amount of solar energy received on Earth is vastly more than the world's current and anticipated energy requirements. If suitably harnessed, solar energy has the potential to satisfy all future energy needs.
Solar energy potential Earth's photovoltaic power potential. The potential for solar energy to be harnessed as solar power is enormous, since about 200,000 times the world’s total daily electric-generating capacity is received by Earth every day in the form of solar energy.
The Future of Solar Energy considers only the two widely recognized classes of technologies for converting solar energy into electricity — photovoltaics (PV) and concentrated solar power (CSP), sometimes called solar thermal) — in their current and plausible future forms.
The analysis follows the REmap Case outlined in IRENA’s Global Energy Transformation roadmap, which highlights ways to step up the energy transformation over the next three decades in contrast to current plans. Specifically, the paper highlights the growth needed in solar PV to achieve climate goals.
Solar PV is one of the fastest-growing, most mature and cost-competitive renewable energy technologies. The deployment of renewables has been growing at a rapid pace in recent years, reaching record levels and outpacing annual conventional power capacity additions in many regions.