Solar Revolution
The Economic Transformation of the Global Energy Industry
Travis Bradford
In Solar Revolution, fund manager and former corporate buyout
specialist Travis Bradford argueson the basis of standard business and
economic forecasting modelsthat over the next two decades solar energy
will increasingly become the best and cheapest choice for most
electricity and energy applications. Solar Revolution outlines the path
by which the transition to solar technology and sustainable energy
practices will occur.
Developments in the photovoltaic (PV) industry over the last ten years
have made direct electricity generation from PV cells a cost-effective
and feasible energy solution, despite the common view that PV
technology appeals only to a premium niche market. Bradford shows that
PV electricity today has become the choice of hundreds of thousands of
mainstream homeowners and businesses in many markets worldwide,
including Japan, Germany, and the American Southwest.
Solar energy will eventually be the cheapest source of energy in nearly
all markets and locations because PV can bypass the aging and fragile
electricity grid and deliver its power directly to the end user,
fundamentally changing the underlying economics of energy. As the scale
of PV production increases and costs continue to decline at historic
rates, demand for PV electricity will outpace supply of systems for
years to come.
Ultimately, the shift from fossil fuels to solar energy will take place
not because solar energy is better for the environment or energy
security, or because of future government subsidies or as yet
undeveloped technology. The solar revolution is already occurring
through decisions made by self-interested energy users. The shift to
solar energy is inevitable and will be as transformative as the last
century's revolutions in information and communication technologies.
About the Author
Travis Bradford is President and Founder of the Prometheus Institute
for Sustainable Development, a nonprofit organization in Cambridge,
Massachusetts, focused on using the power of the business and financial
sectors to deploy cost-effective and sustainable technologies.
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Solar Revolution
Travis Bradford
