Replacing Fossil Fuels with Clean Solar Energy

 

As we arrive here at COP15, it seems clear that there will eventually be a price on pollution. But putting a price on carbon isn't enough. Negotiators in Copenhagen must focus on policies at the national level that will accelerate deployment of clean technologies like solar that make a real difference in fighting climate change.

That's where the solar industry comes in. We're ready now to do more and do it quicker. As you can see from the chart below, solar and other renewable energy sources can, with the right policies in place, play an increasingly significant role in meeting U.S. electricity needs.

The dotted line shows what electricity coal could generate under the status quo. But with the right policies, solar can play an increasingly substantial role in meeting our energy needs. By 2020, you can see that solar can displace a large amount of coal-fired power (it's the gap between the dotted line and the dark gray area that represents coal's energy contribution).

I have a strong feeling that the fossil fuel industries will have us outnumbered and outspent here in Copenhagen. I've been here for less than 24 hours and I've already been hearing on the ground about the presence of fossil fuel interests. But for the first time in the history of international climate talks, the global solar industry has come together with one clear voice to say: "we can do more and we can do it sooner." You can read more about what we're doing together at www.solarcop15.org.

The following chart shows what enacting smart policies can do to quickly ramp solar deployment and reduce millions of metric tons of pollution from the atmosphere. If we follow the status quo, there will be a steady increase in carbon emissions polluting the atmosphere over the next decade. However, the right policies to rapidly deploy solar will result in a reduction of at least 570 million metric tons of carbon emissions per year by 2020. The gap between the blue and red lines represents a significant and rapid reduction in pollution.