Within a few decades...the United States might get 30% of its electricity from sunshine.
Christopher FlavinThe 1,230 gigawatts (GW) of renewable power generating capacity in place at the end of 2009 now constitutes just over 25 percent of total generating capacity worldwide. This is over three times nuclear generating capacity and roughly 38 percent of the capacity of fossil fuel-burning power plants worldwide.
Christopher FlavinThe challenge now is to renovate the baroque structure that the Kyoto Plan has becomeโor else scrap it and get ready to start all over.
Christopher FlavinThe sunlight ... that strikes Earthโs land surface in two hours is equivalent to total human energy use in a year. While much of that sunlight becomes heat, solar energy is also responsible for the energy embodied in wind, hydro, wave, and biomass, each with the potential to be harnessed for human use. Only a small portion of that enormous daily, renewable flux of energy will ever be needed by humanity.
Christopher Flavin