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How Solar Power Could Become a Victim of Its Own Success
Article

How Solar Power Could Become a Victim of Its Own Success

Wired UK, 2018

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Editorial Rating

7

Qualities

  • Eye Opening
  • Background

Recommendation

As the sixth-largest economy in the world, the US state of California has set itself some of the developed world’s most ambitious greenhouse gas reduction targets. Thanks to favorable geography, forward-looking government policies and a private sector willing to invest in renewable energy sources, California is well on track to meet or even surpass these goals. Yet as Phoebe Braithwaite explains in Wired UK, California’s transition to a low-carbon energy future has created a new set of challenges that policy makers have yet to solve. getAbstract recommends her article to policy makers and utility sector professionals.

Summary

Solar power is the fastest-growing source of global energy. Due to economies of scale in countries like China and technical breakthroughs, solar has become one of the most inexpensive power sources in the world. Although costs for solar panels remain relatively high for residential-scale electricity generation, governments can employ subsidies and electricity buyback programs to encourage private individuals to make the investment. The US state of ...

About the Author

Phoebe Braithwaite is a writer for Wired UK.