Solar
in sentence
1475 examples of Solar in a sentence
Competitive pressures from low-cost foreign production have driven down the average cost of
solar
installation in the US by 70% since 2010.
The new tariffs will boost the price of foreign-made
solar
panels – the functional equivalent of a tax hike on energy consumers and a setback for efforts to boost reliance on non-carbon fuels.
Although the commercial costs of wind and
solar
are declining, these technologies still need large subsidies and usage mandates to account for less than 3% of global energy production.
Germany led the world in putting up
solar
panels, funded by €47 billion in subsidies.
The lasting legacy is a massive bill, and lots of inefficient
solar
technology sitting on rooftops throughout a fairly cloudy country, delivering a trivial 0.1% of its total energy supply.
The sorry state of wind and
solar
power shows the massive challenge that we face in trying to make today’s technology competitive and efficient.
Direct-current lines need to be constructed to carry
solar
and wind energy from sunny, windy areas to where most people live.
Farmers’ markets, wood stoves,
solar
panels, and Agway farm-supply stores are the new focus of aspirational dreams for people who not long ago were high on boundless credit, consuming luxury brands scaled down for the middle class, and fantasizing about the kind of life on display in glossy magazines.
The US becomes focused on leading in six key clean-tech areas: building efficiency, battery technology, solar, carbon capture and storage (CCS), smart grids, and electric vehicles (EV).
These efforts are mirrored by Chinese initiatives in such fields as new low-energy vehicles; light-emitting diode (LED) lighting; building integrated photovoltaic (BIPV); innovative energy efficiency technologies; and various alternative energy sources such as solar, wind, bio-gas, and synthetic fuels.
Wind and
solar
are often presented as alternatives to oil and gas, but they cannot compete with traditional sources for electricity generation.
Moreover, while wind and
solar
technologies generate electricity, the biggest energy demand comes from heating.
It has become a world leader in wind and
solar
technology.
Imagine if, thanks to wind and solar, China could wean itself from coal, which accounts for 85% of its carbon emissions.
As the IPCC emphasizes, climate change is a problem; but the report contains none of the media’s typical apocalyptic scenarios, no alarmism, and no demands from natural scientists to cut emissions by X% or to lavish subsidies on
solar
panels.
When
solar
and other green technologies can take over cheaply, we will have addressed global warming – without the angst.
The movie depicted a large space station, a winged space shuttle, a lunar base, and astronauts on a trip to the outer
solar
system.
Robotic spacecraft are currently returning information from the outer regions of the
solar
system and roving the surface of Mars.
There are at least three options: shift to non-carbon energy sources such as
solar
or nuclear energy; capture and dispose of the carbon dioxide emitted at carbon-based power plants; economize on energy use, for example by shifting to hybrid automobiles and trucks.
In order to provide more energy to meet development goals without accelerating global warming, there must be a shift to a new energy infrastructure built around renewables (of which the most significant are probably
solar
power, wind, and biofuels), cleaner coal, and carbon capture and storage.
If targeted at the most promising technology options (say,
solar
and wind), such a strategy would yield early unit cost write-downs through innovation, learning, and economies of scale; give the private sector clear, credible, and attractive signals; and encourage energy efficiency.
In many places,
solar
and wind energy are now competitive with fossil fuels.
Solar
photovoltaic modules, which are about 80% cheaper now than they were in 2008, can be used in isolated locations.
Indeed, the International Renewable Energy Agency estimates that the continent’s potential for wind and
solar
power alone amounts to more than 1.5 trillion gigawatt hours a year.
So, could changes in
solar
radiation explain the warming of the planet?
Measurements of incoming
solar
radiation show that it has not increased in the past 50 years – in fact, the record even shows a small decrease.
But the record’s predominant feature is the recurrence of
solar
radiation cycles lasting about 11 years (called Schwabe cycles, after the astronomer who discovered them in 1843).
Changes in
solar
activity clearly cannot explain global warming.
But that leaves another factor affecting incoming
solar
radiation: how much gets reflected back into space by ice, snow, clouds, desert sand, and other bright, mirror-like surfaces.
This allows more
solar
heat to be taken up in the climate system, which is one reason why the Arctic has warmed at a faster rate than other parts of the world.
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