Discover more about Solar Energy.
Curious to know more about solar energy? Take a look at a compilation of solar facts we’ve discovered below:
- In 2021, India’s renewable energy capacity was approximately 151 GW!
- 163 GW of renewable energy installed in 2021 was cheaper than coal-fired alternatives in the G20; International Renewable Energy Agency (IREA) estimates those savings to be approximately 55 billion USD.
- When comparing Q1 2022 to the previous year, both large-scale and small-scale solar capacity grew an amazing 36%!
- Asia installed 76 GW of Solar in 2021
- 3.9GW of solar photovoltaic (PV) capacity was installed in the US in Q1 of 2022 bringing their total to 126.1 gigawatts-direct current (GWdc).
- Did you know that the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) has been using solar energy since the 1950s? The first every solar-powered satellite, Vanguard 1, was launched on March 17, 1958 on St. Patrick’s Day.
- Have you heard of Agrivoltatics? Agrivoltaics is the concept of mixing solar array installations with agricultural land use. It’s a growing win-win solution that provides both ecological and agricultural benefits.
- What is a net zero building? A building is considered net zero if it produces enough renewable energy to meet its own energy consumption needs. PV solar panels are often utilized to achieve net zero for commercial buildings.
- Did you know that renewable energy sources are forecast to overtake coal to become the largest source of energy by 2025? Renewable energy will be expected to supply one-third of the world’s energy by 2025.
- There is 15 times more solar capacity installed by American businesses today than there was a decade ago! With growing incentives for solar energy systems, switching to solar is becoming increasingly enticing for both homeowners and professionals.
- The cost of solar installation has dropped by more 60% than over the last decade! This has led the industry to expand into new markets and install thousands of systems in the United States.
- Did you know that Kenya has the greatest deployed capacity of off-grid solar PV in sub-Saharan Africa? Kenya had 147MW of installed PV capacity by the end of 2021.
- IREA forecasts that the world will need 5.2TW of solar capacity by 2030 and 14TW by mid-century to keep rising global temperatures under 1.5 °C.
- Did you know that the earth receives 174 petawatts (PW) of solar radiation in the upper atmosphere? Approximately 70% of this energy is absorbed by clouds, oceans, and landmasses while the rest is reflected back into space.
- Led by tech and retail giants, US companies have installed nearly 19GW of on-site and off-site solar capacity, which doubles the 9.4GW installed in 2019.
- Did you know that renewable energy sources provided 23% of US electrical generation in the first nine months of 2022?
- Germany’s residential solar storage market has doubled in 2022, with 220,000 new residential solar battery installations.
Solar Facts is a series of blog posts where we’ve compiled bite-size information on solar and related topics that may be of interest to you. Read our first Solar Facts blog here.
Solar Glossary
Agrivoltaics = Agrivoltaics is the concept of mixing solar array installations with agricultural land use.
Net zero building = A building is considered net zero if it produces enough renewable energy to meet its own energy consumption needs.
