MARK KENBER,
THE ECONOMIST/The Clean Revolution
Solar power will bring a step change in global energy supply in the next decade, argues Mark Kenber, CEO, The Climate Group.
It is easy to be distracted by negative news headlines about solar energy these days: solar companies going bankrupt, photovoltaic (PV) supply much higher than demand and solar panels causing a new trade war.
Still, much of the news agenda misses the wider point. The vast potential of solar power is already changing the energy outlook of many countries around the world and promises to be the global energy success story of the next decade.
The solar PV sector is already a huge success. From a small industry primarily centred in Germany, it has managed to become a global $100-billion industry with installed capacity exceeding 65 gigawatts (GW) in 2011, up from 5.4 GW in 2005 – a 1200% increase in six years. MORE
