IPCC special report on Renewable Energy Sources and Climate Change Mitigation – Direct Solar Energy (2011)

The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC)’s special report on Renewable Energy Sources and Climate Change Mitigation contains a dedicated chapter on Direct Solar Energy. This gives a synopsis of the state-of-the-art and possible future scenarios of the full realisation of direct solar energy’s potential for mitigating climate change. It includes a detailed analysis of the different solar technologies, including dedicated sections on passive and active solar heating and cooling, and concentrated solar power (CSP).

The report also appraises current market developments, and evaluates the near- and long-term prospects for future deployment of each technology. It concludes that solar energy has the largest technical potential of all energy sources, and could see dramatically expanded use in the next thirty years. This will be dependent on technical improvements and resulting cost reductions, along with a continuingly favourable regulatory environment.

Author: Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change

Year: 2011

Pages: 77

Download the report here, or read it below: