How Solar Could Be the Hero We Need

After the UN Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change report, many people around the world were heard saying the same thing: “We’re screwed.” However, there is still a light in the darkness. The same light that’s been around since long before humans came about. That light is the sun, the big ball of renewable energy that could save us from what appears to be impending doom. With the cost of solar constantly going down and the number of installations constantly going up, we may actually have a shot at avoiding our environmental reckoning day.

An Energy Revolution

The best way to get people on board with solar energy? The ever falling prices, which are now getting lower than traditional energy. As of 2017, solar cost $50 per megawatt, compared to coal’s $102.

“This recent change could be a sign that the world is on the verge of an energy revolution,” said Business Insider. And we’re inclined to agree.

Unfortunately, the flip side to that is the IPCC’s report stating that the world needs to invest $2.4 trillion per year into renewable energy in order to hit the target amount of solar growth we need to potentially save the planet. If only it were as easy as saying, “Hey, if we don’t do this, we’re all going to die.” Sadly, it’s not.

“For those of us who care about our climate, we have always feared we would have to wait for the politicians to drive change,” said Martin Green, a scientist from the University of New South Wales who is a determined optimist. “We have feared it because political change can always be slow. But economic change is fast, and we are currently witnessing it.”

The Frightening Reality

The frightening reality is that we will need to cut our carbon output to effectively 0 by 2050 to save our planet. This is no easy task, especially when people are sure that fossil fuels are still a necessity. If we do not effectively achieve this, however, our planet is projected to warm by 10 degrees Celsius by 2100.

What does this mean? The coral reefs will vanish, our planet will become inhospitable, and all life will begin to die out.

This may all sound very dramatic, but it’s a dramatic reality.

“A decade ago, the current situation of plateauing demand for coal and car fuel and cratering renewables costs looked equally outlandish,” Green continued. “Given the way the world’s energy market has changed in recent years, it’s a good idea to never say never.”

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