2011-09-26

IEA: Solar Energy Could Produce Majority Of World’s Energy By 2060

Solar generators could meet most of the global demand for power in the next 50 years according to the International Energy Agency (IEA),Bloomberg reported.

Photovoltaic plants and solar-thermal plants could meet most of the world’s electricity demand by 2060, and half of all energy needs.

The findings go beyond the IEA’s previous forecast which had said photovoltaic and solar energy would meet 21% of the world’s power needs by 2050.

Wind, hydropower and biomass plants would supply most of the remaining energy and greenhouse gas emissions would subsequently fall. Carbon dioxide emissions from the energy sector would fall to about 3 gigatons per year, compared with about 30 gigatons at current levels. More details are expected to be revealed at a conference in Germany this September.

Solar energy to boost Greek economy

Germany is pushing a €20 billion solar energy plan in Greece, according to ekathimerini. The investment plan called Project Helios will convert solar energy in the country through photovoltaic systems and export the energy across Western Europe. The project is expected to create 30,000 – 60,000 jobs in Greece.

The project involves installing photovoltaic panels with a total capacity of 10 gigawatts which would be about the same as the total capacity of Greece’s main electric company Public Power Corporation. The plan would however need about 77 square miles of public land.