10 things that may surprise you about solar energy
1. Solar power is the most abundant energy source on Earth
· There's enough solar energy hitting the Earth every hour to meet all of humanity's power needs for an entire year.
· To put the it into a different perspective, if we covered the Mojave Desert with solar arrays, it would generate more than twice as much electricity as the U.S. uses annually.
2. Solar panel costs have fallen 99% since 1977
· Solar Market Insight Report, the cost of a solar cell now is $0.21 per watt. An entire assembled module is $0.39 per watt.
3. Solar Energy is cheaper than fossil fuels
· Depending on where you're looking at producing solar energy, it's probably already cheaper than coal, diesel, nuclear, and in most cases, natural gas, particularly in the Southern U.S.
· If the pattern of cost reductions is any indication, it won't be long before solar blows away every form of fossil fuel on a cost basis.
4. Solar power plants can last 40 years or more
· Not only will solar panels last 40 or 50 years, the infrastructure around a solar power plant has a lot of value.
· Solar panels could be replace with new, more efficient modules at relatively low cost, thus improving performance, but once a site is established and the infrastructure is built, a solar power plant has a very long effective lifespan.
5. China is the world leader in solar energy ... by a lot
· Solar energy is starting to get a lot of attention in the U.S., but we're small fish compared to China.
· In 2017, China installed 50 GW of solar, to put this in perspective, it would be enough to power 8.2 million U.S. homes.
6. California is the U.S. star in solar
· No state in the U.S. has driven the solar industry forward more than California.
· What's amazing about California's solar market is that it's well distributed between small, rooftop systems and some of the largest solar power plants in the world.
7. 39% of new electricity production capacity installed in 2016 was solar
· Not only is solar cost effective, it's a big part of our new power plant mix.
8. Solar is the fastest energy source to deploy
· When disaster strikes, no electricity source can be built or repaired as quickly as solar
9. There's probably a solar panel near you
· Big solar power plants built in remote deserts may get a lot of attention, but it's distributed solar that's really disrupting how we look at energy. These projects are spread all over the grid, from home rooftops to panels deployed on your local big-box retailer.
10. Utilities are giving people solar options
· If you personally want to go solar, a rooftop system may be the choice for you.
· Utilities across the country are giving customers to option to source their electricity from wind or solar for an extra fee.
The bottom line is that solar is booming around the world, and the trend shows no signs of slowing down.
