Book contents
- Transitioning to a Prosperous, Resilient and Carbon-Free Economy
- Transitioning to a Prosperous, Resilient and Carbon-Free Economy
- Copyright page
- Dedication
- Contents
- Figures
- Tables
- Contributors
- Foreword
- Introduction
- 1 Policy Frameworks and Institutions for Decarbonisation: The Energy Sector as ‘Litmus Test’
- Technologies for Decarbonising the Electricity Sector
- 2 Wind Energy
- 3 Solar Photovoltaics
- 4 Solar Thermal Energy
- 5 Nuclear Energy
- 6 Hydropower
- 7 Energy Storage
- 8 The Hydrogen Economy
- Example Economies
- Cities and Industry
- Land Use, Forests and Agriculture
- Mining, Metals, Oil and Gas
- Addressing Barriers io Change
- Index
- References
3 - Solar Photovoltaics
from Technologies for Decarbonising the Electricity Sector
Published online by Cambridge University Press: 08 October 2021
- Transitioning to a Prosperous, Resilient and Carbon-Free Economy
- Transitioning to a Prosperous, Resilient and Carbon-Free Economy
- Copyright page
- Dedication
- Contents
- Figures
- Tables
- Contributors
- Foreword
- Introduction
- 1 Policy Frameworks and Institutions for Decarbonisation: The Energy Sector as ‘Litmus Test’
- Technologies for Decarbonising the Electricity Sector
- 2 Wind Energy
- 3 Solar Photovoltaics
- 4 Solar Thermal Energy
- 5 Nuclear Energy
- 6 Hydropower
- 7 Energy Storage
- 8 The Hydrogen Economy
- Example Economies
- Cities and Industry
- Land Use, Forests and Agriculture
- Mining, Metals, Oil and Gas
- Addressing Barriers io Change
- Index
- References
Summary
Solar energy is vast, ubiquitous, non-polluting and indefinitely sustainable. It is an ideal energy solution for millions of years. Since 2016, solar photovoltaic (PV) technology has been the dominant global energy technology in terms of net new electricity generation capacity being added each year. It is also the cheapest at low and moderate latitudes where three-quarters of the global population resides, and where most of the growth in population and energy demand is occurring. It is likely that solar PV technology will pass coal to become the largest source of electricity during the 2020s. Renewable electrification of transport, heating and industry will allow solar PV systems (in conjunction with wind energy) to push most fossil fuels out of the global economy, leading to reductions in greenhouse emissions of three-quarters. This chapter describes the technology, economics and market prospects for solar PV technology across the globe, and touches on the technologies required to support high levels of solar PV energy, including long-distance electricity transmission and energy storage.
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- Information
- Transitioning to a Prosperous, Resilient and Carbon-Free EconomyA Guide for Decision-Makers, pp. 60 - 71Publisher: Cambridge University PressPrint publication year: 2021