Quantcast
ZME Science
  • CoronavirusNEW
  • News
  • Environment
    • Climate
    • Animals
    • Renewable Energy
    • Eco tips
    • Environmental Issues
    • Green Living
  • Health
    • Alternative Medicine
    • Anatomy
    • Diseases
    • Genetics
    • Mind & Brain
    • Nutrition
  • Future
  • Space
  • Feature
    • Feature Post
    • Art
    • Great Pics
    • Design
    • Fossil Friday
    • AstroPicture
    • GeoPicture
    • Did you know?
    • Offbeat
  • More
    • About
    • The Team
    • Advertise
    • Contribute
    • Our stance on climate change
    • Privacy Policy
    • Contact
No Result
View All Result
ZME Science

No Result
View All Result
ZME Science
No Result
View All Result
Home Science News

Massive MIT study says solar is the future, but governments need to be supportive

A massive study conducted by the Massachusetts Institute of Technology concluded that solar has the most chances to meet our planet's long term energy demands, while also reducing greenhouse emissions. However, governments should be more supportive of the industry's development.

Henry Conrad by Henry Conrad
September 9, 2015
in News, Renewable Energy

A massive study conducted by the Massachusetts Institute of Technology concluded that solar has the most chances to meet our planet’s long term energy demands, while also reducing greenhouse emissions. However, governments should be more supportive of the industry’s development.

solarz
Image via MIT.

 

According to the researchers, the primary goal of the US policy should be to promote and encourage a massive scale-up of solar generation over the next few decades.

“What the study shows is that our focus needs to shift toward new technologies and policies that have the potential to make solar a compelling economic option,” said Richard Schmalensee, a Professor Emeritus of Economics and Management at the MIT Sloan School of Management.

The study focused on three challenges: the development of new solar technologies, the integration of solar generation at large scale and the design of efficient policies to back these developments up. They found that even with the potential and infrastructure to grow into a global industry, solar still emits very low amounts of carbon, which makes it an ideal long-term candidate, along with other advantages to solar.

“As a consequence, massive expansion of global solar-generating capacity to multi-terawatt scale is a very likely and essential component of a workable strategy to mitigate climate change risk.”

In terms of what type of solar infrastructure they recommend, crystalline silicon dominates today’s PV landscape and will continue to be the leading deployed PV technology for at least the next decade. Some new thin-film technologies, made by depositing one or more thin layers, or thin films of photovoltaic could also save a lot of money.

Get more science news like this...

Join the ZME newsletter for amazing science news, features, and exclusive scoops. More than 40,000 subscribers can't be wrong.

   

“Massive expansion of solar generation worldwide by mid-century is likely a necessary component of any serious strategy to mitigate climate change,” the study concluded. “Fortunately, the solar resource dwarfs current and projected future electricity demand. In recent years, solar costs have fallen substantially and installed capacity has grown very rapidly.”

All in all, solar seems to be the way to go – now we just have to support it. Not convinced? Check out some facts about solar energy compiled by ZME Science, if you’re not convinced.

Henry Conrad

Henry Conrad

Henry Conrad is an avid technology and science enthusiast living in Albuquerque, New Mexico with his four dogs. Aside from being a science geek and playing online games, he also writes poems and inspirational articles and short stories just to dabble on his creative side.

Follow ZME on social media

ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT
  • Coronavirus
  • News
  • Environment
  • Health
  • Future
  • Space
  • Feature
  • More

© 2007-2019 ZME Science - Not exactly rocket science. All Rights Reserved.

No Result
View All Result
  • Coronavirus
  • News
  • Environment
    • Climate
    • Animals
    • Renewable Energy
    • Eco tips
    • Environmental Issues
    • Green Living
  • Health
    • Alternative Medicine
    • Anatomy
    • Diseases
    • Genetics
    • Mind & Brain
    • Nutrition
  • Future
  • Space
  • Feature
    • Feature Post
    • Art
    • Great Pics
    • Design
    • Fossil Friday
    • AstroPicture
    • GeoPicture
    • Did you know?
    • Offbeat
  • More
    • About
    • The Team
    • Advertise
    • Contribute
    • Our stance on climate change
    • Privacy Policy
    • Contact

© 2007-2019 ZME Science - Not exactly rocket science. All Rights Reserved.