How fast is the sun rising? And is shale gas damaging the solar boom in the US and around the world? The IEA 2012 World Energy Outlook has data that help to answer these questions.
In 2008, the US had about 500 megawatts of solar operating. Today, by the end of 2012, it will have 7,000 megawatts.
And by 2035, the IEA 2012 World Energy Outlook projects that the US will have 68,000 megawatts of solar running and increase 10 times in the next 23 years. And the global numbers are even more amazing.
www.pv-magazine.com/news/details/beitrag/iea--renewables-to-rival-coal-by-2035_100009194/#axzz2CcZrnkbC.
The IEA projects that global solar will increase from 1,000 megawatts in 2000 to 67,000 megawatts in 2011 and then to an astonishing 600,000 megawatts by 2035. The US portion of global solar capacity is about 10% now and IEA projects that it will remain near the 10% mark through 2035.
As big as the IEA solar numbers are for both the US and the world, if they are off the mark, I suspect that they are too low. Actual solar and renewable growth has consistently many forecasts and may exceed this one too.
Also, these solar numbers from the IEA are one more piece of data that shale gas is far from killing solar or renewable energy in the USA or the world. Today and tomorrow!
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