2009 Global Solar Report Cards

Abstract

Time is short, the climate crisis is real, and demand for electricity is rising. That is why – at the Copenhagen round of the climate talks – we are urge world leaders and the private sector to swiftly make significant investments – $50 billion and more in the next 2 to 3 years – in solar energy as a way out of the current economic crisis and as part of an emergency response to climate change. Solar is a key strategic investment that can help combat energy poverty (2 billion people do not have access to modern energy services), create economic growth and help fight climate change. Governments need to urgently shift subsidies for oil, gas and coal towards solar and renewable technologies in order to create jobs, improve the lives of those in need, and reduce greenhouse gas emissions. The government leaders gathered in Copenhagen – and back at home in their nations – must make long-term commitments to solar and enable the private sector to further reduce costs via economies of scale and technological advancements. Every hour, enough sun hits the earth to meet the world’s annual demand for energy. Today’s solar technologies can cleanly meet annual demand four times over. Yet solar does not even account for 1% of our electricity portfolios. In order to effectively compete with subsidized, fossil-fueled electricity, emerging technologies such as solar need to achieve economies of scale (the more solar deployed, the cheaper it gets). By enacting clear, long-term policies for solar energy deployment, governments help to create long-term stability and predictability and to encourage private sector participation. In 2008, Global Green USA and Green Cross International published the inaugural Global Solar Report Cards, a first-of-its-kind country-by-country evaluation of solar energy policies. The study evaluated mechanisms such as financial incentives and regulatory infrastructure that encourage or inhibit the development of solar markets. The aim of the Report Cards is to raise awareness among policy makers, media and the publicat-large by grading the effectiveness of each country’s policies every year. The report can help governments create solar-friendly policies that give all players within the solar energy private sector increased opportunities to grow. Energy is the lifeblood of our modern economies. However, current economic development is inextricably linked to energy consumption and environmental destruction. All countries must embrace clean and sustainable ways of generating electricity so that we can grow without destroying our habitat.