Green technologies are dominating the global community’s discussion of sustainable energy generation. Renewable energy sources, with solar energy being one of the most feasible and affordable, are being supported and invested into by governments to instigate a new environment-friendly technology for sustainable energy (Iravani et al., 2017). One of the advantages of solar energy is its capacity to meet the demands of the whole world. As Figure 1 demonstrates, solar energy is dominating other sources of non-hydro renewable power in terms of capacity.
Besides, the Earth’s territory exposed to solar irradiation is extensive, with particular areas being the most potentially favorable for generating the most solar power. As Figure 2 demonstrates, these areas are marked with black dots.
The abundance of technologies available from solar energy generation allows for developing diverse approaches to sustainable power production. For example, photovoltaic solar energy technology is designed to utilize the capacity of a photovoltaic cell to generate electricity. Figure 3 demonstrates the principle of this technology, which is non-harmful to the environment.
As for the possible disadvantages of solar energy, one of them is the necessity to invest in the invention, development, and implementation of new technologies, which are currently lacking. In addition, the inconsistent distribution of solar irradiance across different continents might impose insufficiency in the solar energy supply.
Future Outlook
Solar energy has the potential to occupy a solid place in green technology due to its availability, affordability, and the advancement of research related to the alternative use of solar power for energy generation. One of the most significant contributions the use of solar power is likely to make is reducing climate change impact due to fossil fuel use (Creutzig et al., 2017). Moreover, the concept of solar cities seems to be realistic and feasible. This idea holds that urban areas might be transferred to complete use of renewable solar energy for electricity to eliminate the use of conventional plants (Byrne et al., 2017). Thus, solar energy is a promising alternative power source capable of shifting humanity toward green technology.
References
Byrne, J., Taminiau, J., Seo, J., Lee, J., & Shin, S. (2017). Are solar cities feasible? A review of current research. International Journal of Urban Sciences, 21(3), 239-256.
Creutzig, F., Agoston, P., Goldschmidt, J. C., Luderer, G., Nemet, G., & Pietzcker, R. C. (2017). The underestimated potential of solar energy to mitigate climate change. Nature Energy, 2(9), 1-9.
Iravani, A., Akbari, M. H., & Zohoori, M. (2017). Advantages and disadvantages of green technology; goals, challenges and strengths. International Journal of Science and Engineering Applications, 6(9), 272-284.
Kabir, E., Kumar, P., Kumar, S., Adelodun, A. A., & Kim, K. H. (2018). Solar energy: Potential and future prospects. Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, 82, 894-900.
Sampaio, P. G. V., & González, M. O. A. (2017). Photovoltaic solar energy: Conceptual framework. Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, 74, 590-601.