Solar energy, a sustainable alternative to a promising future

The sun will be the energy source for a billion people, if governments are committed to create photovoltaic markets, as reported in the "Solar Generation" inform by Greenpeace.
 
Solar energy could provide electricity to more than one billion people, creating about 2 million jobs by 2020, and reaching 26% of the world's energy needs by 2040, according to a report published today in Berlin by Greenpeace and the European Association of Photovoltaic Industry (EPIA).

The report "Solar Generation" shows that solar photovoltaic cells have the potential to make a major contribution, both to the future of the global security of energy supply  and to help avoid the threat of Climatic Changes. "It is a realistic and achievable goal, based on the state of the industry and market opportunities that exist today, but it requires a clear political support from governments around the world," said Sven Teske, energy expert from Greenpeace. "We need a massive boost to renewable energy sources if we want to eliminate fossil fuels that threaten our environment."

"We have a clear signal from the government that there is a political commitment to increase the role of solar electricity in the" mix "of energy. In particular, the European Commission must ensure that the national innovation systems of incentives for solar electricity are not being overruled by the policy of free competition, "said Jose Luis Garcia Ortega, responsible of Spain´s Greenpeace Solar Project.

"Greenpeace calls on governments to provide with renewable energy two billion of the world's poorest people in the next ten years. Even using conservative estimates, the report shows that solar energy is able to cover a large portion of this demand, and create millions of jobs worldwide, "said Emilio Rull, from the Campaign for Energy and Climate Change of Greenpeace Spain.
The EPIA, which represents 54 major European solar companies, is responding to this challenge by intensifying its role as a global advocate for solar energy.

The report shows that by 2020 the world could have a solar production of 276 TWh, which could equate to 30% of the energy needs of Africa, or 10% of the demand of the European countries of the OECD, or 1% of the global demand. This would replace the energy produced by 75 new coal-fired power stations and prevent the emission of 664 million tons of carbon dioxide. The solar infrastructure investment would have a value of 75 billion dollars a year, and lower the cost of solar modules to $ 1 per vatio-pico.

In 2040, the global production of solar energy could exceed 9,000 TWh, or 26% of global demand expected, which would have increased from 27,000 to 35,000 TWh. That combined production exceeds the demand of the European countries of the OECD and North America in 1998.
The renewable technologies, which use energy not only the sun but also the wind and water, generate clean energy that neither nor will eventually lead accumulation of greenhouse gases which cause climatic changes.

Choosing renewable instead of fossil fuels is also choosing energy security. Fossil fuels, due to their contribution to the global climate catastrophe, a source of energy inherently insecure, whether they come from Alaska, the Caspian Sea, Middle East or elsewhere. The conversion to renewable mean that countries are able to generate their own indigenous energy supplies, which would be reliable, wherever it is generated.
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