Solar energy for heat and electricity - Grantham Briefing Paper 1

Author: Dr N.J. Ekins-Daukes

The sun supplies the majority of the energy available on the Earth; wind power, hydropower, biomass and all fossil fuels can trace their energy source back to the sun. These indirect routes for deriving solar energy have certain advantages: storage of energy in the case of fossil fuels and hydropower, and transportation of energy in the case of wind. However, the challenges involved in harnessing solar energy directly and on a large scale are such that it remains an elusive but still fundamentally attractive way of mitigating climate change. This paper describes the present status of solar energy worldwide, and outlines the competing technologies, the magnitude of energy they could produce, and the extent to which they could be used.

Contents

• Executive summary
• Introduction
• Technical review
• Policy and international context
• Research agenda
• Conclusion

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