What Next for Solar?

Abstract

Every year, standard crystalline silicon gets a bit cheaper or performs a bit better. In 2018 alone, we have been surprised by the rapid expansion of bifacial modules, which give you a bit more energy just by using glass on the back instead of an opaque sheet. We have also been surprised by the rise of floating solar, especially in Korea and Japan, which can overcome land constraints while reducing evaporation from reservoirs. The march of progress is far from done. Human civilization is still in the ‘shallow decarbonisation’ phase where solar is nowhere near fundamental limits of what it can supply, as most of the grid runs on fossil fuels. Deep decarbonisation, taking us to zero net emissions, is barely even on the technological radar, although Spain and California have targets to run on 100% clean energy by 2050 and 2045, respectively…