What is the future of solar energy?

Power generation by fossil-fuel resources has peaked, whilst solar energy is predicted to be at the vanguard of energy generation in the near future. Moreover, it is predicted that by 2050, the generation of solar energy will have increased to 48% due to economic and industrial growth [13, 14].

What is solar energy & how does it work?

Solar energy is a form of renewable energy, in which sunlight is turned into electricity, heat, or other forms of energy we can use. It is a “carbon-free” energy source that, once built, produces none of the greenhouse gas emissions that are driving climate change.

Does weather affect solar energy generation potential?

Provided by the Springer Nature SharedIt content-sharing initiative Globally, solar projects are being rapidly built or planned, particularly in high solar potential regions with high energy demand. However, their energy generation potential is highly related to the weather condition.

How are changes in solar energy output taken into account?

In practice, the changes of solar system energy output are taken into account by grid operators in order to schedule the spinning reserve capacity and to manage the grid operations 7. As the solar industry grows, solar power generation is becoming increasingly weather-dependent 8.

What is the potential of solar energy?

Solar energy potential Earth's photovoltaic power potential. The potential for solar energy to be harnessed as solar power is enormous, since about 200,000 times the world’s total daily electric-generating capacity is received by Earth every day in the form of solar energy.

How does solar energy impact the environment?

Solar energy investments can meet energy targets and environmental protection by reducing carbon emissions while having no detrimental influence on the country’s development [32, 34]. In countries located in the ‘Sunbelt’, there is huge potential for solar energy, where there is a year-round abundance of solar global horizontal irradiation.