When Exploring the unknown continues to open new roads for future generations

With each of their great "firsts", the adventurers of the last century constantly pushed back the limits of the impossible. Today, the drive to make new discoveries must go on, with the aim of improving the quality of life on our planet.

By writing the next pages in aviation history with solar energy, and voyaging around the world without fuel or pollution, Solar Impulse's ambition is for the world of exploration and innovation to contribute to the cause of renewable energies, to demonstrate the importance of clean technologies for sustainable development; and to place dreams and emotions back at the heart of scientific adventure.
By going beyond the question of energy, Solar Impulse would also like to encourage each and every one of us to become pioneers in our own lives, in our ways of thinking and behaving.

"Adventure is not necessarily a spectacular deed, but rather an "extra-ordinary" one, meaning something that pushes us outside our normal way of thinking and behaving. Something that forces us to leave the protective shell of our certainties, within which we act and react automatically. Adventure is a state of mind in the face of the unknown, a way of conceiving our existence as an experimental field, in which we have to develop our inner resources, climb our personal  path of evolution and assimilate the ethical and moral values that we need to accompany our voyage." Bertrand Piccard

The solar plane "Solar Impulse 2" is making its flight around the World without a single drop of fuel. This epic event can be followed on: www.solarimpulse.com

Business opportunities in a solar-powered world

The cost of solar has decreased by two thirds over the past six years and could decrease by another 65% by 2050. Over the last decade, rapidly decreasing prices for photovoltaic cells are driving down the cost of solar power, potentially to where it achieves "grid parity"-- a point where getting electricity from solar panels costs the same as getting it from the grid as it happens in Chile per example. There is no doubt that solar energy will soon represent a significant share of the power system.

It is clear that understanding the dynamics of solar power and embracing the many business opportunities of a solar-powered world is a very pragmatic and obvious move for any company in the energy sector which wants to be part of the future.

The role of off-grid solar photovoltaic installations

Long before PV became a reliable source of power connected to the grid, it was largely used to provide electricity in remote areas that lay out of the reach of electricity grids. While off-grid systems in Europe account for less than 1% of the installed PV capacity, they represent a significant power source in other parts of the world. For this reason, off-grid systems are also taken into account in the total installed capacity.

In the USA, off-grid systems represented 10% of the overall market in 2009 and declined since then. In Australia and South Korea, dozens of megawatts of off-grid capacity are installed every year and are accordingly taken into account in the total installed capacity in those countries. In countries such as India or Peru, the development of PV in the coming years could originate at least partially from hybrid systems and micro-grid applications. In that respect the notion of on-grid or off-grid installations could be more difficult to assess outside Europe.
Information source: EPIA

Storage remains the challenge for renewables

Transforming the energy situation so that renewables provide the majority of the world’s usable power requires one essential missing element: energy storage.

Public perception is that solar energy is expensive and cannot meet evening demand, need to be effectively countered. It is a fact that over the years, cost of delivered solar energy has come down drastically and it is already cheaper than diesel generators’ based electricity on certain areas of the globe but to be really cost-efficient the proper storage media still need to be developed and integrated. What society really wants and needs is energy on demand.

Plans to increase solar and wind installations by 2030 and beyond will result in long-term massive expansion of renewable energy. In Germany alone, penetration will grow from today’s 20 percent to 35 percent by 2020 and 50 percent by 2050.

What we urgently need is a means of storing energy at large scale and low cost that can be adapted anywhere. And it’s important not to confuse lightweight mobile energy storage with large scale stationary storage. If solar and wind power are to break out of their present tiny niche positions, they will need to achieve systems parity with traditional energy supplies.  This means that the cost of conversion plus the cost of storage will have to be similar to the cost of providing energy on demand from the energy stored in chemical or nuclear fuels.

Solar PV will remain a reliable source of clean energy despite climate of uncertainty

After many years of unfettered growth and innovation, the solar PV industry is now going through a challenging period, with shifting market dynamics and changing political support creating a climate of uncertainty. 

Some key questions will probably play a role in determining how market evolution takes place:

• Policy: The PV market remains in most places a policy-driven one, linked to changing political environments and commitments from government in a rather limited set of countries; with the right decisions to create smart and sustainable support schemes for PV, markets can continue to grow
  
• Competitiveness: PV is rapidly becoming competitive, in terms of LCOE (Levelized Cost of Energy), with other power sources – and in some countries in some segments, it already is; grid and especially market integration challenges will however increasingly hamper future PV deployment
  
• Industry consolidation: The current world overcapacity in PV modules is having a severe effect on companies all along the solar value chain; how this plays out will have an effect on market development
• Trade: trade disputes in parts of the PV value chain are creating uncertainty that may affect markets forecasts in the next few years 

Renewed political resolve is needed to restore investor confidence, remove bottlenecks and maintain a reliable but dynamic framework for the remuneration of PV. But under even the most pessimistic scenario, PV will continue to increase its share of the energy mix in Europe and around the world, becoming a reliable source of clean, safe and infinitely renewable energy for all. 

Energy Efficiency on Buildings is a necessity

Buildings are the largest consumers of energy worldwide and will continue to be a source of increasing energy demand in the future. Globally, the sector’s final energy consumption doubled between 1971 and 2010 to reach 2 794 million tones of oil equivalent (Mtoe), driven primarily by population increase and economic growth. 

Under current policies, the global energy demand of buildings is projected to grow by an additional 838 Mtoe by 2035 compared to 2010 (IEA International Energy Agency), which is equivalent to the total current energy demand of the buildings sector of the United States and China combined ! 

Buildings will therefore add substantial pressure on primary energy supply, if further policy action is not taken at a global level to improve their efficiency.

Source: Modernizing Building Energy Codes by EIA

Solar Photovoltaic is becoming global

It is clear from the results of 2012 and the forecast for the coming years that Europe’s leading role in the PV market is coming to an end. In 2011, Europe accounted for 74% of the world’s new PV installations; in 2012 this number was around 55%. 
In 2013 it is almost certain that the majority of new PV capacity in the world will be installed outside of Europe. Part of the reason for the decline in Europe’s numbers is a natural cooling down period after very strong growth in the previous two years. To be sure, there are still markets in Europe which have strong and still-untapped potential and room for significant PV growth. But this will occur at a more stable – and sustainable – rate than it has in the last few years. Going forward, the driving forces will be in countries like China, the USA, Japan and India. 
The PV market is finally starting to become truly global.... with pain for a few ones! 
Other Countries will follow the trend. Solar energy is globally available ... it's just a question of time.