News Digest Item
28 Aug 2017

“Importance of solar energy underestimated by a factor of three”

MCC / Nature Energy / Washington Post

The growth of solar energy has been grossly underestimated in the results of the models of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), writes Mercator Research Institute on Global Commons and Climate Change (MCC) in a press release. A new MCC study, published in the journal Nature Energy, showed that in 2050, the percentage of photovoltaics in the global power supply could be three times higher than previously projected.
This could be a big problem, writes Chelsea Harvey in an article on the study in Washington Post: “If policymakers believe solar is growing more slowly than it actually is, they may be less likely to prioritise the kinds of research and development that will help better integrate renewables onto the grid, such as improving battery storage technology,” writes Harvey.

Read the press release in English here, the Nature Energy article (behind paywall) in English here, and a Washington Post article on the topic in English here.

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