Jun 11, 2011
One key component of the Plan B climate
stabilization strategy is solar
energy. Solar is even more ubiquitous than wind
energy and can be harnessed with both solar photovoltaics (PV)
and solar thermal collectors.
Solar PV—both silicon-based and thin film—converts sunlight
directly into electricity. The growth in solar cell production
climbed from an annual expansion of 38 percent in 2006 to an
off-the-chart 89 percent in 2008, before settling back to 51
percent in 2009. At the end of 2009, there were 23,000 megawatts of
PV installations worldwide, which when operating at peak power
could match the output of 23 nuclear power plants. Germany, with an
installed PV power generating capacity of almost 10,000 megawatts,
is far and away the world leader in installations. For full report,
visit the
EPI website.