Solar can provide 20% of world electricity on northern summer solstice, reveals study

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The world has enough solar power capacity to generate a fifth of its midday peak electricity needs on the longest day of the year in the northern hemisphere, up from 16 per cent last year, a report by thinktank Ember showed on Friday.

Solar’s role in energy transition

Solar power is currently the fastest growing source of electricity due to falling technology costs, and is expected to become the biggest source of electricity before 2050, some researchers have said.

Last year, solar generated a record 5.5 per cent of global electricity, the Ember report added, and 34 economies in the world are now generating over 10 per cent of their electricity from solar power.

Summer solstice

The northern hemisphere’s summer solstice on June 21 is the longest day of the year, but all days in June are similar enough in length that solar generation on that day will be close to the monthly average, based on calculations of the weighted average of hourly solar generation data.

Ember estimates 89 per cent of the world’s solar panels are installed in the northern hemisphere.

Based on a 24-hour average, solar can provide 8.2 per cent of global total electricity on June 21.

For June as a whole, Ember expects the share of solar in total electricity generation to reach 9.6 per cent in China, which is the largest solar market in the world.

In the European Union, solar’s share is set to be 20 per cent in June, while the US’ and India’s shares are expected to be 6.9 per cent and 7.1 per cent respectively. “At 20 per cent share, solar is now a serious global electricity source,” said Kostantsa Rangelova, electricity analyst at Ember.

“Battery costs have collapsed, meaning solar power is already being used in the evening, not just in the daytime.”

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