Carbon pollution and solar energy

It is clearly evident that pollution continues to ravage the planet. News reports of choking smog in China and India persist, despite the education of the world on climate issues. Climate truth is not a concern for Republican energy officials, who continue to propose increases in offshore drilling, coal production, and tariffs on solar panels from China. These politicians care only about the interests of fossil fuel companies. Worldwide, however, the new energy construction projects and investment stress are concentrated in solar. Unfortunately, China is far outpacing the United States in solar energy production. Collectively, the world installed 98 gigawatts of new solar power projects in 2017, more than the additions of coal, gas, and nuclear plants combined, according to new research about global trends in renewable energy investment.

Renewable energy jobs on the rise

Estimates show that renewable energy options such as wind and solar could provide nearly four times as many jobs as would a fossil fuel investment such as a natural gas power plant. The report makes clear that the global energy map is rapidly changing, and where investors are putting their money is changing along with it—especially when it comes to the developing world. Solar is the solution the world has been seeking but will policymakers have the foresight to implement solar energy systems? Renewable energy sources accounted for a record 157 gigawatts of renewable power in 2017, up from 143 gigawatts in 2016. New fossil fuel capacity accounted for only 70 gigawatts last year. Solar alone accounted for 38 percent of the net new power capacity. By far, the leader for renewable energy investment in 2017 was China, which accounted for $126.6 billion in global total investment, the highest figure ever. Solar investment alone in China was $86.5 billion. In contrast, U.S. investment in all renewables fell by six percent from 2016 and totaled only $40.5 billion.

Solar prices continue to fall

Costs for solar energy continue to drop. The cost of electricity for a photovoltaic panel project dropped to $86 per megawatt-hour, down 15 percent from a year earlier and down 72 percent since 2009. A reduction in capital costs combined with improvements in efficiency contributed to that price drop. The biggest investment in renewable energy came from the developing world. Developing economies, including China, Brazil, and India, committed $177 billion to renewables, a hike of 20 percent, while investments from developed countries were down 19 percent.

China still retains the title of "world’s largest emitter of greenhouse gases", due to its sheer size, population, and habitual reliance on coal and other fossil fuels. Overall worldwide, carbon dioxide levels in the atmosphere reached 406.5 parts per million in 2017, up 2.3 ppm from 2016. And 2017 was the second hottest year on record. But at least the Chinese have realized the folly of their previous energy policy. China is now the leader in solar panel production and their ultra-polluting neighbor India is not far behind. It will take a lot of time for solar power to help clear the polluted air of both countries, but it's incredibly important that they have already started. A few states in the US have passed legislation mandating cleaner air by the middle of the century. The prime mover in that legislation is clean solar power. Without some major changes in national policy, many countries will suffer greatly as the effects of climate-related weather come home to roost.

There has never been a better time to go solar. Don’t wait, the time is now!

If you want to move into the future and join the solar revolution, check out our solar blog section for more handy guides and articles.

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