Solar Power Is Now The Fastest Growing Sector of the Global Energy Economy
According to a new study by the International Energy Agency in Paris, Solar is now the fastest-growing sector of our global fuel economy, USA Today reports.
In the report, IEA notes that solar power was the fastest-growing source of power in the world in 2016– the first time that solar energy surpassed oil as a source of power. This progressive development is in part attributed to new photovoltaic panel installations in China (a country with some of the biggest energy demands in the world) as well as the growing governmental emphasis on renewable energy sources across the developing world (including India, Africa, and parts of Southeast Asia).
According to the United States Department of Energy, solar power is more affordable, more accessible, and more popular than ever before. Since 2008, U.S. installations have grown seventeen-fold, generating an estimated 30 GW of electricity today. This is enough energy to power the equivalent of 5.7 million American homes.
Still, despite Donald Trump’s recent, unfortunate emphasis on coal as a potential (extremely ill-advised) fuel source, the United States remains the second-largest market for renewable energy in the world. (The leader is China, who is responsible for almost half of last year’s solar panel expansion.)
Interested in seeing more solar panels in action? Check out Tulum’s Papaya Playa Project.
