Recent studies reveal that photovoltaic energy conversion will be economically viable for usage in developing countries. An overview of programs designed to lower the costs of such conversion systems is presented. Government goals are reviewed, as well as application projects relative to rural usage. A summary of the state-of-the-art in both advanced research and commercially available technology is presented. It is concluded that with the range of the work being done, such systems will be viable for many rural applications within 5 years.

This study presents options to fully unlock the world’s vast solar PV potential over the period until 2050. It builds on IRENA’s global roadmap to scale up renewables and meet climate goals.

In this industrial and technological age, energy plays a principal role in sustainable development. This is connected to issues regarding availability, production processes, utilization, and environmental impact. Due to the increased rate of population growth, the energy demand in the entire world is getting to the level that it may not be sustained in the nearest future if drastic action is not taken to address the situation, especially from research and development perspectives. "None of the millennium development goals (MDGs) can be completed without considerable improvements in the quality and quantity of energy services in developing countries," according to the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP). Based on this fact, UNDP is making efforts, especially in developing countries to ensure that people have access to sustainable sources of clean, reliable, and affordable energy since every aspect of human development is highly impacted by this vital resource.

Solar photovoltaic cells have been called the ultimate energy technology, environmentally benign and without moving parts, solar cells directly convert sunlight into electricity. Photovoltaic energy conversion is fundamentally different from all other forms of electricity generation. Without turbines, generators or other mechanical equipment, it more closely resembles photosynthesis, the biochemical process that forms the energy basis of life on earth. A product of mid-twentieth century solid-state physics, photovoltaics has attracted a wide range of supporters: back-to-nature homesteaders, environmentalists, politicians, and businessmen. Increasingly, photovoltaics is a world of big business, with oil companies contributing a sizable share of the nearly half-billion dollars invested worldwide in 1982. Although research and development still form much of the solar cell industry, practical use of the technology is growing rapidly. Photovoltaic technology, cost reduction, the photovoltaics industry, government programs and international competition, applications of photovoltaics technology, solar power stations, and the future of solar power are discussed in separate sections. (Author/JN)

Solar power has become big business, with $131 billion invested in 2018, up from just $11.2 billion in 2004 but down from $171 billion in 2017 as unit costs fell. New installed capacity grew from 1.1GW in 2004 to about 107GW in 2018, a steady rise as solar begins to compete with fossil fuels on cost and to be built in nearly every country.This is a book for the solar workers of the future, a business book for those without a business or economics background and those simply curious about major shifts happening in the world energy economy. Key financial, economic and technical concepts are interspersed with the history of the first decade of cheap solar power, and the author's experience of being part of a successful startup in the clean energy sector.Related Link(s)