Power Generation Codexery

Solar power

Conversion of sunlight into electricity via photovoltaics or concentrated solar power.

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Sunlight is turned into electrical power by solar technologies, either through photovoltaic panels or by using concentrated solar power systems that employ mirrors or lenses.[1] According to Ember's Global Electricity Review 2026, the proportion of global electricity generated by solar reached 9% in 2025.[2] For new electricity generation installations, utility-scale solar offers the cheapest levelised cost of electricity in most countries, a status it shares with onshore wind power.[2]

Quick Facts

First solar cell constructed
1880s by Charles Fritts

Facts from the source article.

Key facts and history

Charles Fritts built the first solar cell in the 1880s.[3] Grid-connected solar PV capacity has doubled about every three years since costs fell.[4] Three-quarters of new generation capacity is solar.[4] China is the largest producer and installer of solar power capacity.[2]

Light is transformed into an electric current within solar cells through the photovoltaic effect.[3] The 1980s saw the initial development of commercial concentrating solar power plants.[4][5] Data from the IEA indicates that worldwide solar generation capacity surpassed 1 terawatt for the first time during 2022.[6] Projections indicate that solar energy will surpass hydropower to become the leading source of renewable electricity before the decade ends.[7]

What the cited sources add

The same analysis notes that 96% of newly installed utility-scale solar and onshore wind in 2023 generated cheaper electricity than new coal and gas plants.[8] BloombergNEF analyst Jenny Chase stated in 2022 that solar remains the cheapest source of bulk electricity in many countries.[9] Chase also noted that solar developers primarily need a grid connection and permission to sell electricity.[9] In South Australia, batteries were paid to charge during negative price intervals in 2021.[10]

Germany's energy policy reform from 2022 sets a target for solar PV capacity to reach 215 GW by the end of that decade.[11]

References

  1. Wikipedia, "Solar power" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: "Energy Sources: Solar", Department of Energy (original not read by us) en.wikipedia.org
  2. Wikipedia, "Solar power" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: "Global Electricity Review 2026", Ember, 2026-04-21; "Sun Machines", The Economist; "Global primary energy consumption by source"; "2023 Levelized Cost Of Energy+", Lazard; "Executive summary – Renewable Energy Market Update – Analysis", IEA, June 2023; Norman, "Through the roof: 49.5% of world's PV additions were rooftop in 2022 – SolarPower Europe", PV Tech, 2023-06-13; Hawkins, "China breaks more records with surge in solar and wind power", The Guardian, 2025-06-26; "'A bullet train for power': China's ultra-high-voltage electricity grid en.wikipedia.org
  3. Wikipedia, "Solar power" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: .; .; Corporation, "Magic Plates, Tap Sun For Power", Popular Science, June 1931, p. 41 (original not read by us) en.wikipedia.org
  4. Wikipedia, "Solar power" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: Gabbatiss, "Analysis: World will add enough renewables in five years to power US and Canada", Carbon Brief, 2024-01-12 (we also read that source) en.wikipedia.org
  5. Wikipedia, "Solar power" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: What is peak demand? , Energex.com.au website. (original not read by us) en.wikipedia.org
  6. Wikipedia, "Solar power" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: "What is the impact of increasing commodity and energy prices on solar PV, wind and biofuels? – Analysis", IEA, December 2021; "Levelized Cost Of Energy, Levelized Cost Of Storage, and Levelized Cost Of Hydrogen", Lazard.com; "World Installs a Record 168 GW of Solar Power in 2021, enters Solar Terawatt Age", SolarPower Europe; McDonnell, "Soaring fossil fuel subsidies are holding back clean energy", Quartz, 2022-08-29; Olingo, "Africa leads growth in solar energy as demand spreads beyond traditional markets, report says", AP News, 2026-02-1 en.wikipedia.org
  7. Wikipedia, "Solar power" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: "Solar - IEA", IEA; Olson, "Utility-scale solar PV: From big to biggest", Det Norske Veritas (original not read by us) en.wikipedia.org
  8. Gabbatiss, "Analysis: World will add enough renewables in five years to power US and Canada", Carbon Brief, 2024-01-12. facts only, no text reused. carbonbrief.org
  9. Parkinson, ""We don't need solar technology breakthroughs, we just need connections"", RenewEconomy, 2022-10-23. facts only, no text reused. reneweconomy.com.au
  10. Vorrath, "MPower gets green light to connect solar battery projects, cash in on negative pricing", RenewEconomy, 2022-10-17. facts only, no text reused. reneweconomy.com.au
  11. "Germany boosts renewables with "biggest energy policy reform in decades"", Clean Energy Wire, 2022-04-06. facts only, no text reused. cleanenergywire.org

Each numbered sentence above was checked against the source it cites before publication. Sentences citing Wikipedia adapt text from the English Wikipedia article Solar power (contributors), used under CC BY-SA 4.0; this entry is available under the same licence. Other sources were used for facts only; no text or images are copied from them.

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Sources

Compiled from Wikipedia and the sources listed below. Text from Wikipedia is available under CC BY-SA 4.0; this entry is adapted from it.

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