Obama focuses primarily on solar energy

There are plenty of different renewable energy sources to choose from such as wind and hydropower but for U.S. president Obama solar seems to be the biggest thing of them all.

This was clearly seen at the National Clean Energy Summit, where Obama couldn't stress enough the importance of solar energy. Among other things Obama noted that "solar industry now employs twice as many Americans as mining coal."

This shouldn't come as surprise because his administration already announced series of measures to increase solar power construction, such as additional $1 billion in loan guarantee authority available in a federal program for innovative versions of residential rooftop solar systems.

The biggest effect on making better use of solar power should however come from the Clean Power Plan, which requires states to cut carbon emissions by an average of 32 percent. This recently announced plan should provide incentives for much of those reductions to come from renewable energy projects, and with solar energy industry booming, it is expected to take a frontrunner seat.

Despite the rapid growth of solar energy industry, solar power still provides less than 1 percent of the electricity generated in the United States. In 2014, renewable energy sources provided just 13 percent of the nation’s electricity, meaning that the nation is still heavily dependent upon fossil fuels.

Despite the rapid growth, solar energy industry still has to be wary of inadequate planning. The last thing solar energy industry needs is another failure like Solyndra.

Solar energy offers potential solution against climate change as well as clean electricity.  Solar can certainly make a big difference on national as well as global energy market and having president that understands this is big plus for the entire nation.

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Middle East needs to push for more solar

In energy world, Middle East is a region associated with oil with countries such as Saudi Arabia, Qatar and Yemen having vast oil resources at their disposal. But oil resources won't last forever, and region will have to look for other sources of energy in order to ensure sustainable energy future. Solar power looks to be the most logical energy solution to replace oil, especially on the long run.

This region is blessed with abundant sunlight. Developing strong solar energy sector is really a necessity for Middle East not just because massive oil export won't last forever but also because of increasing consumer demand for oil in their own countries.

If oil prices continue to remain low this will put the pressure on domestic budgets of these countries, and with less profits they will find it difficult to maintain their current luxury because their entire energy policies are based strictly on oil export.

These countries will have to invest in solar, sooner or later. Solar technologies are becoming increasingly cost-competitive with traditional energy sources and are thus more attractive to investors. Strong solar energy sector in this area could not only conserve region's vast oil resources but could also result in cleaner environment. Many cities in this region are infamous for their poor air quality.

Saudi Arabia, a leading economic power in the region, has already announced a $109bn investment plan to generate a third of its electricity from solar power. This positive example should be followed by many other countries in the region.

The enormous Middle East’s solar potential means that with the proper investment this region can not only remain a world leader in fossil fuel production, it can also become a world leader in solar energy production as well.

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Solar energy environmental downsides - Sustainability is the key

Solar energy industry is one of the fastest growing industries in the world, in fact global solar power capacity increased sixfold in the last five years. Solar panels do not emit greenhouse gases that contribute to climate change but manufacturing process still has some notable environmental downsides.

Solar panel manufacturing requires some toxic metals, and it also requires electricity most of which currently comes from burning coal meaning that solar panel production actually emits greenhouse gases. Solar panel manufacturing also creates toxic waste which if not treated properly could create significant environmental damage. The water use is also significant.

There is also the question of solar panel recycling. Solar panels have an average lifespan of 20+ years meaning that some of the panels installed in early 90's are reaching the end of their life cycle and are about to become obsolete.

At this moment, the biggest problems connected with solar panel recycling are the inadequate number of recycling facilities and small market size. There are still not enough obsolete solar panels to attract big investors because market is still not big enough.

Solar companies from all over the world should adopt different sustainability measures in order to reduce potential environmental damage as much as possible. Some countries have adopted several important environmental standards in solar panel production, in US for instance there is federal law on disposing the toxic wastewater. In some countries, such as China, environmental standards are still poor and there is lack of sustainability measure to make solar panel production greener.

Solar energy will in years to come rule global energy market. Though solar energy is clean energy, manufacturing solar panels is still connected some significant environmental downsides. The rapid growth of solar energy industry needs to be accompanied with rapid growth of different sustainability measures connected with solar panel production

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Global solar energy market continues to grow

The year 2013 was record breaking in terms of growth of global solar energy market. Here are some of the most interesting facts on this topic:

1) Solar photovoltaic installations were bigger in 2013 than wind energy installations and nearly matched those of hydropower.

2) Concentrated solar power capacity grew significantly in 2013, as there was 19 countries with installed or under construction CSP plants by the end of the year.

3) The power consumption from photovoltaic and CSP increased by 30% in 2013.

4) At the end of 2013, solar power consumption equaled 0.5 percent of electricity generation from all energy sources.

5) The record installation wasn't followed by the rise in investment as solar energy sector experienced decline in global investment by approximately 20%.

6) In the second half of 2014, Asia overtook Europe in becoming the largest regional solar energy market.

7) In 2013, China led the way in new solar energy installations by adding 12.9 gigawatts of new PV capacity to its grid.

8) Europe experienced significant decline in new solar installations in 2013 by adding just 11 GW of PV. In 2011, for example, this number was 22 GW.

9) The United States added 4.8 GW of new solar installations in 2013.

10) The Worldwatch predicts that solar installations will reach 40-51 gigawatts in 2014.

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Asian solar energy market continues to grow rapidly

Solar energy industry is one of the fastest growing industries on global level. The number of countries that see solar as an important future energy source is constantly growing, and majority of analysts agree that in years to come solar energy will become one of the top energy sources in the world, eventually phasing out fossil fuels such as coal.

The latest report claims that solar installations have increased by 36.9 gigawatts in 2013, with most of new installations coming from Asia. The Asian solar energy market is rapidly growing not just because of China who continues to push for lead in global clean energy race but also in Japan that looks for alternatives to nuclear energy after the Fukushima accident.

In 2013 China was global leader in new solar installations by adding 11.3 GW to its total solar power capacity, while Japan installed 6.9 GW, and the third was United States that added 4.75 GW of new solar power capacity. In Europe Germany led the way in new solar power installations by adding 3.3 GW of new solar power capacity in 2013.

Thanks to a rapid growth in solar power installations in China and Japan, Asian solar energy market accounted for 59% of total solar power installation in 2013. For comparison EU's market share was just 28%, which explains why many investors are currently focusing on Asian solar energy market.

The major reasons for yet another year of rapid growth in installed solar power capacity are decline in prices and high competition on global solar energy market. The rapid solar expansion is taking place all over the world, ranging from Africa and the Middle East region to Asia and Latin America.

The current estimates predict that global solar power capacity will reach 145 GW by 2020. The total installed capacity of the International Energy Association's photovoltaic power systems program is currently said to be at 123 GW.

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China to significantly expand its domestic solar energy market in 2014

China will further expand its fast-growing solar energy market in 2014. China's updated solar energy target is to build more photovoltaic (PV) power stations in 2014 than originally planned, namely  12 GW of capacity as opposed to previous target of 10 GW.

China is world's largest solar panel manufacturer and exporter but the recent trade rows with European Union and US have led to oversupplied domestic solar energy market and now China plans to make the best out of it by further increasing its domestic PV capacity.

China's government has already introduced several measures which include promotion of distributed PV projects, elimination of outdated capacity and encouraging industrial restructuring and technological progress, all in effort to kick-start somewhat faltering solar energy industry.

It has been reported that decentralized solar power stations, for instance those installed in private homes, public buildings, will account for significant share (8 GW) of the new capacity.

It has been estimated that China's total solar power capacity will exceed 35 GW by the end of 2015. The strong growth of domestic solar energy market is seen as the best solution to counter the excessive supply of PV products available in the domestic market, though China still plans to retain its dominant position of world's largest solar panel exporters once all parties find the solution for current trade rows.

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California sets yet another solar energy benchmark

The state of California is still the nation's clean energy leader- this especially applies to solar energy development within the state. The latest report from this week says that Golden State has managed to cross the benchmark of 1,500 megawatts of installed solar power capacity, which is remarkable feet, especially in relation to solar energy development in other US states.

1500 megawatts of installed solar power capacity is enough to power around 300,000 homes in California. The growth in solar power capacity is also beneficial in warding off climate change and improving state's energy independence by reducing the need for foreign fuel import.

Solar panels are common sight in California. The rapid development of solar energy industry within the state has been one of the main driving forces for not only renewable energy but also for new jobs and cleaner environment. It has been estimated that solar energy industry provides around 40,000 jobs in California.

The report also says that this much megawatts of solar energy even outweighs California’s top four major proposed fossil fuel projects in terms of total capacity.

Solar energy is more popular than ever before. Solar panels, installed on many rooftops in California, do not only help homeowners save money on the long run - it also means that they are actually doing something to protect our environment from climate change threat that seems to be looming larger with each new day.

Once solar energy reaches cost-parity with coal and natural gas it will rule the world, and these traditional energy sources will become obsolete. This day will hopefully come sooner rather than later.

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