If lately it seems that the world is being flooded with bad news, here is a truly positive: the sun has become the favorite energy source for tens of millions of people across the globe-and simply.
A recent report of analyzed recently in the surprising growth of solar energy in recent years.
Among the data collected in the extensive analysis, the magazine notes that the renewable energies represented 96 % of demand by new energy throughout the globe in 2024; In the United States, 93 % of the new energy capacity came from solar and wind energy.
But while renewable energies are generally on the rise, the speed to which the particular solar energy It’s growing Overcomes everything else.
According to The New Yorker, it is currently estimated that around the world is Install a solar energy gigawatt every 15 hours – Something like the production of a new coal center in just over half a day.
Nova Yorquina magazine notes that It took 68 years since the invention of the first photovoltaic solar cell in 1954, To produce a single Terawatt solar energy – but it was necessary Only two years To reach the second Terawatt in 2024… and the third is expected within a few months.
It is explosive growth It was fed by huge efficiency gains in solar energy production, manufacturing advances and simplified installation processes.
There was also huge developments in panel recyclingwhich means that the darker side of solar energy – Environmental costs of mineral and manufacturing panel extraction – may one day be a thing of the past.
In theory, these advances in production, along with increasingly efficient recycling methods, will continue to be compensated in the future.
Secondly Hannah Ritchieresearcher at the University of Oxford heard by The New Yorker, “The silver used in 2010 In a solar panel would be enough to build about five panels today“.
Although countries like the US, Germany and Japan are at the front line of the solar capacity installation, The undisputed leader is Chinawhich in 2023 installed more solar infrastructure than the following nine countries together.
Beijing is fulfilling its 10 -year plan to triple your ability Solar until 2030 – a goal that could reach in 2026, to maintain the current pace.
Although this bet has clear benefits for the environment and health of Chinese citizens, also serves a geopolitical purposenamely ending your dependence on energy sources such as oil and coal.
Our sun is about 4.6 billion years – and scientists believe it will go from years.
Thus, concludes The New Yorker, our star, which already provides us with warmth, light and photosynthesis, is prepared to offer us all the energy that we could ever use-and perhaps help us say goodbye to fossil fuels one day.
