{"id":6341,"date":"2023-05-24T22:00:00","date_gmt":"2023-05-24T22:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/modernsciences.org\/staging\/4414\/?p=6341"},"modified":"2023-05-12T18:56:25","modified_gmt":"2023-05-12T18:56:25","slug":"despairing-about-climate-change-these-4-charts-on-the-unstoppable-growth-of-solar-may-change-your-mind","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/modernsciences.org\/staging\/4414\/despairing-about-climate-change-these-4-charts-on-the-unstoppable-growth-of-solar-may-change-your-mind\/","title":{"rendered":"Despairing about climate change? These 4 charts on the unstoppable growth of solar may change your mind"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
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\n \n Shutterstock<\/span><\/span>\n <\/figcaption>\n <\/figure>\n\nAndrew Blakers<\/a>, Australian National University<\/a><\/em><\/span>\n\n

Last year, the world built more new solar capacity than every other power source combined.<\/p>\n\n

Solar is now growing much faster than any other energy technology in history. How fast? Fast enough to completely displace fossil fuels from the entire global economy before 2050.<\/p>\n\n

The rise and rise of cheap solar is our best hope for rapidly mitigating climate change. <\/p>\n\n

Total solar capacity tipped over 1 terawatt (1,000 gigawatts) for the first time last year. The sector is growing at around 20% a year. If this continues, we\u2019ll hit 6 terawatts around 2031. In capacity terms, that would be larger than the combined total of coal, gas, nuclear and hydro. <\/p>\n\n

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\n As you can see, cheap solar is overtaking all other new-build energy sources. Global generation capacity additions (2018-2022)<\/span>\n IRENA, GWEC, WNA, GEM<\/a>, CC BY<\/a><\/span>\n <\/figcaption>\n <\/figure>\n\n

Fewer and fewer new fossil fuel power stations are now being built. As the rest of the global fleet age, most will retire by mid-century. <\/p>\n\n

Australia is finding the path<\/h2>\n\n

It might surprise you to learn that Australia is a global renewable energy pathfinder. Most solar panels use Australian-developed PERC technology<\/a>, for instance.<\/p>\n\n

All the leading countries for per capita solar and wind generation are in Europe \u2013 except Australia. In Australia, 99% of new generation capacity is now solar and wind because it is cheap. <\/p>\n\n

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\n Highest per capita solar and wind generation in 2022.<\/span>\n Ember<\/span>, CC BY<\/a><\/span>\n <\/figcaption>\n <\/figure>\n\n

But unlike European countries, Australia cannot share electricity across national boundaries. <\/p>\n\n

Instead, we have to cope with rapidly increasing levels of solar and wind by sharing it across state boundaries. This is proving to be relatively straightforward<\/a>. Solar and wind have reached a share of 31%<\/a> of the national electricity market, while the grid remains stable. <\/p>\n\n

Already, three states or territories are at very high penetration of renewables. The ACT has built or bought enough renewables to cover 100%<\/a> of its use. Tasmania, too, is at 100% renewable power, thanks to hydro and wind, and is aiming to double<\/a> this to export to other states. And South Australia will soon become the world\u2019s first gigawatt-scale grid to run on renewables. Currently, it\u2019s sourcing around 70%<\/a> of its power from solar and wind. <\/p>\n\n

This matters because of Australia\u2019s location. Like 80% of the world\u2019s population, we live at low to moderate latitudes where there is plentiful sunshine, even in winter. That means the methods we pioneer or test can be readily adopted by nearly everyone else. <\/p>\n\n

\n \"chart<\/a>\n
\n Global solar generation capacity, assuming continued 20% growth rate in annual deployment.<\/span>\n IRENA, GEM<\/span>, CC BY<\/a><\/span>\n <\/figcaption>\n <\/figure>\n\n

Where will the era of ubiquitous solar take us?<\/h2>\n\n

Solar capacity has been growing at 20% a year for decades<\/a>. <\/p>\n\n

Elimination of fossil fuels from the global economy is straightforward: electrify everything using clean electricity from solar and wind. This includes:<\/p>\n\n