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“ NO OTHER ENERGY TECHNOLOGY ENJOYS THE VAST PUBLIC SUPPORT THAT SOLAR DOES – WITH 94 PER CENT OF EUROPEANS IN FAVOUR OF USING SOLAR ”THE GLOBAL CONTEXTThere is much to celebrate in the achievement of solar power passing from a niche energy source to a mainstream energy source and one that will power the future more than any other energy. This has been largely fueled by the impressive cost decline of solar systems – estimated by the International Energy Agency (IEA) at 75 per cent in just seven years. This gives solar the edge over other technologies, as it is becoming cheaper while also being carbon zero. This is a key element in the fight against climate change, so the technology was heartily endorsed by the nations of the world at the COP21 Climate Summit in Paris.Leaders from all over the world acknowledged that solar is the key energy technology to ensuring humanity does not despoil its world. No other technology saw such feting at the COP21 summit, with the launch of the International Solar Alliance, the Terrawatt Initiative and the Global Solar Council bringing politicians, financiers and industry together. It is also an easy sell for policymakers, as no other energy technology enjoys the vast public support that solar does – with 94 per cent of Europeans in favour of using solar, according to a recent European Commission Eurobarometer report. This explains why over 20 million people are powered by solar in Europe today. This will only grow. According to IRENA, the international renewable energy agency, solar has the potential to grow from around 230GW installed to day to more than 2.5TW by 2030, more than 20 per cent of energy demand. Again, this is in part due to the continued expected fall in solar panel costs – potentially as much as 10 per cent a year in the coming years. This will be coupled with increases in efficiency, which means that consumers and society will get more ‘‘bang for their buck’’ from solar.Solar is also evolving and becoming more innovative, we are seeing the advent of building-integrated solar products, floating solar parks (a 6.3MW floating solar park has just been completed in London), solar powered buses and solar powered roads. All of this means that there can be more solar and more benefit for society. Deutsche Bank believes that solar will be the dominant electricity source in the world by 2030.At the global level things are set fair for solar power.FOR EUROPE BIGGER EFFORTS ARE NEEDEDWith all this global success for solar, where does that leave Europe in the great solar scheme of things? With nearly 100 GW of installed capacity, Europe is still the most solarized continent on planet Earth. Nevertheless, there are challenges ahead for solar in Europe and a transition is underway in the solar market in Europe. Europe was until recently the leader of the solar power pack, but today the rate of installation has fallen so that in 2015 Europe represented just 16 per cent of the total of installations in the world which for the first time ever reached over 50GW in 2015. Only 8 GW of solar were installed in Europe in 2015, more than in 2014, but still the lowest level of installation since 2008.There are many reasons for this, but a key problem relates to the fact that there is a tremendous over capacity of electricity generating power plants in Europe today. Sadly, many of these plants, contributing to around 30 per cent of energy demand in Europe, are dirty old coal powered plants which contribute heavily to carbon emissions and climate change. In such circumstances the fact that any new clean energy installations are being made must be celebrated, but the need for space to allow more solar power to feed the energy system of Europe is clearly needed. European policymakers have tried to address the issue and introduced the Emissions Trading System (ETS) back in the early 2000s. Today, however, it is contributing very little to driving the needed change – providing carbon prices around 4,50 Euros per tonne, about 30 Euros below where it needs to be to encourage the closure of coal plants. Coupled with that, national governments have scaled back incentives for solar power slowing the demand for the technology. This in part explains why today we have seen a dropping rate of installation of solar across Europe.Given this situation, there is a paradox in the deployment of solar. In Europe, solar has slowed considerably in deployment, while across the world solar is booming, with China, Japan and the USA leading the way in rates of installation and forward looking policies to ensure that the solar revolution continues apace.SO WHAT CAN BE DONE IN EUROPE?To start with, the European policy makers need to take heart and recognise that there is support for an energy transition in Europe, with solar power at its core. In Germany, the Energiewende enjoys widespread public support. German citizens strongly support its goals of moving from a coal and nuclear based power system to one powered by renewables. More than 90 per cent of German citizens support its goals according to a recent survey. Therefore, bolder and more ambitious policies are needed to continue the momentum for solar and other renewables. The next question is what are the policies and SUSTAINABLE ENERGY 081