Absorber: The layers used to absorb sunlight. Acreage: The total acres used up by a photovoltaic system. Activated shelf life: The time it takes for a charged battery to reach an unusable level when stored at a specific temperature. Activation voltage: The voltage that the controller will operate at to protect the batteries. Air mass: […]

The solar industry has grown in fits and starts since the early 1970s, but its recent ascent has all but cemented it as a major energy technology for the future. In the short and medium term, the future of solar is brightest for installation companies, which are benefitting from low module prices, cheap capital, and […]

Energy markets are driven by economics. Throughout history, most attempts to inter­nalize externalities have been fruitless. In the case of energy, it remains highly unlikely that an agreement for carbon pricing could be achieved—either globally or with the two largest emitters, the United States and China. Given this reality, the future of solar will only […]

Several newly developed energy future scenarios have been developed with somewhat different results. The future is difficult to predict across all energy markets and signifi­cantly more so for renewable energy ones. Analysis requires assumptions for GDP, the policy landscape, continued environmental awareness, and the investment landscape. In a recent report by BNEF, a “new normal” […]

Industrial energy use is predominantly used for production, as well as for lighting and other business uses in the manufacturing industries. Industrial production makes up just over half of all global energy use and is expected to grow by a similar 1.5% globally each year through 2035.[112] Again according to EIA, “not only because of […]

Commercial energy use includes the consumption of the service sector. It is highly connected to population growth (as services tend to population serving). Commercial energy use is driven by electrical, heating, and cooling of buildings and other structures, though traffic lights, water, and sewer systems are also included in this category.[110] The EIA expects commercial […]

Residential energy consumption refers to household use, which is comprised mostly of heating fuel and home electrical use. As would be expected, the developed, OECD member states will see much slower population growth, and therefore relatively small annual increases of energy consumption.[108] Non-OECD states, particularly in Brazil, India, and China, are expected to grow much […]

As the world’s population continues to soar, energy demand is growing at a dramatic pace. Fueled in large part by Asia, and specifically China and India, global demand is expected to increase 53% between 2008 and 2035. Members of the OECD, which tend to be more established economies, are expected to grow by only about […]