Pollution reduction and solar energy

Despite overwhelming evidence of fossil fuel pollution, Republican energy officials continue to propose increases in offshore drilling, coal production, and tariffs on solar panels from China. Worldwide, however, the new energy construction projects and investment emphasis 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 a new report about global trends in renewable energy investment. The report reflects not only a strong emphasis on solar energy but also the amount of investment money going into those projects, and the origin of these investments. Donald Trump has composed tweets with threats about tariffs for months, renewing fears of a trade war with China. But as Think Progress put it, “We’re fighting the wrong trade battle with China. The future is clean energy.” So even as Trump focuses on backward-looking energy sources like coal and trade policies such as these latest tariff wars, the forward-looking Chinese have seized the initiative on the core job-creating industries of the future. The Chinese are ramping up solar production.

Renewable energy jobs

Estimates show that renewable energy options such as wind and solar could produce four times as many jobs as would a fossil fuel investment such as a natural gas power plant. As the report makes clear, the global energy map is changing, and where investors are putting their money is changing along with it—especially when it comes to the developing world.

Some key findings from the UN report:

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 6 percent from 2016 and totaled only $40.5 billion.

Costs for solar energy continue to fall. 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 fall in capital costs combined with efficiency improvements contributed to that price drop.

The total amount of energy coming from renewable resources is still dwarfed by that coming from fossil fuels, because of all of the existing energy infrastructure, it is growing. The proportion of world electricity generated by wind, solar, biomass, geothermal, and hydropower rose from 11 percent in 2016 to 12.1 percent in 2017. The added contribution of more renewable energy from 11 percent to 12.1 percent of all power had the effect of preventing the emission of 1.8 gigatons of carbon dioxide. That’s roughly the same amount produced by the entire U.S. transportation system.

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.

Of course, China still remains the world’s largest emitter of greenhouse gases, due to its sheer size, population, and traditional 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.

There has never been a better time to go solar

If you want to move into the future and join the solar revolution, or if you want to find out what solar panels are right for you, go to HahaSmart.com and try our price checker tool. You can see how much a system will cost, and how much you can save over the next 
20 years. 

For more information relating to going solar, don't forget to visit our solar blog section for more handy guides and articles.