Solar & Wind Energy
Topic Background
Solar and wind energy are two forms of renewable energy that are already implemented at a substantial scale. In order to further expand the capacity for wind and solar energy, however, there are still issues that need to be considered.
On top of the remaining needs to drive down costs and improve efficiency, connection with the grid also needs to be substantially improved through development of better power conversion and energy storage technologies, as the generation capacity for renewable energies rapidly expands.
Solar Power
The solar energy reaching the ground is estimated to be approximately 170 W/m2 (21 trillion kW in total). Since global energy demand is about 0.16 trillion kW , it is possible to satisfy the global energy demand with less than 1% of the solar energy reaching the ground.
There are two kinds of methods for harnessing solar energy as electric power: solar thermal power generation and photovoltaic (PV) power generation. For respective methods, 3GW (2014) and 135GW (2013) were installed and they are expanding.
Comments and Discussion
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[Series: Road to Paris & Beyond]
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