Wednesday, December 18, 2024

An Earth Powered by the Sun

spinning Earth globe showing solar farms around the world

Australia's ABC has used data from TransitionZero to map out the astonishing growth in solar energy around the world. Using machine learning to analyze global satellite imagery, TransitionZero has discovered that solar farms now cover approximately 19,000 square kilometers of the Earth. And the number of solar installations is doubling every three years.

Using a 3D globe of the Earth, ABC has mapped out the world's solar farms to visualize where and how solar power is reshaping energy systems worldwide. In A Survey of the World's Solar Energy Boom you can explore for yourself the regions driving this revolution. 

China is leading the charge in solar power, installing more solar capacity in 2023 than the rest of the world combined, with vast arrays in the sparsely populated west and north. India follows closely, leveraging government subsidies to build mega-projects like the Khavda Renewable Energy Park, which will power over 16 million homes. Meanwhile, countries, such as Pakistan and Namibia, are rapidly embracing solar through grassroots initiatives and affordable imports from China.

Solar power’s meteoric rise can be attributed to a combination of technological innovation, economic scalability, and urgent climate goals. Advances like UNSW’s PERC technology have revolutionized solar efficiency, while mass production in China has driven down costs, making solar the cheapest form of electricity. 

Global solar capacity is now projected to provide 12% of all electricity in just three years time. By 2034, experts predict solar could account for nearly half of the world's power generation, underscoring its central role in the transition to a sustainable energy future.

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