14 DAY TRIAL // A new Environment America Research & Policy Center report says that, judging by recent developments, the US is well on track to have as much as 10% of its energy needs met by solar by the year 2030.
The thing is that, to achieve this goal, the country must invest heavily in systems and installations designed to harvest sun energy and turn it into electricity.
Then again, given how popular solar systems and installations have come to be in the US in recent years, specialists with Environment America Research & Policy Center expect that this shouldn't be a problem.
Solar power is having a whale of a time in the US
In its report, the organization details that, courtesy of falling solar installation costs and a rise in the efficiency of solar cells, the country has managed to triple its solar photovoltaic capacity over the past three years.
Thus, data at hand indicates that solar accounts for over 50% of the electricity generating capacity that the US added in the first half of 2014. What's more, it appears that in the year 2013 alone, the country's solar industry created 143,000 jobs nationwide.
It is estimated that, for the time being, the combined energy output of solar systems and installations up and running across the country's territory is enough to power as many as 3.2 million households.
“Solar is widely popular across the spectrum,” specialist Anya Schoolman with the DC Solar United and the Community Power Network said in a statement.
Furthermore, “Once people see the power of the sun at work on their homes, businesses, government buildings and places of worship, they work together to make even more of it happen.”
Why push for 10% solar by 2030?
If you've been paying attention to the news, you probably know that climate change and global warming are now wreaking havoc on the planet. To limit these phenomena, efforts must be made to curb greenhouse gas emissions and promote sustainability.
According to this latest Environment America Research & Policy Center report, having the US invest in renewables up to the point when 10% of its energy needs are met by solar power alone can help cut the country's emissions by as much as 280 million metric tons of carbon.
Just to put things into perspective, it need be said that such a drop in greenhouse gas emissions is estimated to be the equivalent of taking as many as 59 million polluting cars off roads.
“We can get to 10 percent solar by 2030 if we just keep our foot on the accelerator,” explained Rob Sargent, Energy Program director for Environment America and co-author of the report.
“That’s a small fraction of what’s possible, but it will make a big difference in the quality of our lives and our children’s future,” the researcher went on to argue.
Interestingly enough, the organization's report on the future of the US' solar industry says that, all things considered, the country could manage to have 10% of its power demand met by sun energy considerably earlier than 2030.
In order for this to happen, the country's solar power industry should stick to its current growth rate, which is and has been one of 77% for three years now. As specialist Jigar Shah put it, “Given the growth of solar over the last few years, getting to 10 percent of U.S. electricity from solar should happen far sooner than 2030.”
