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THE GLOBAL FORECAST: SUNNY, WITH A CHANCE OF RAINAt the Paris Climate Conference, 195 countries signed onto the first legally binding agreement to take climate action and established their Intended Nationally Determined Contributions to reduce carbon emissions. Many countries have taken steps in the right direction by setting ambitious renewable energy targets in order to keep the global temperature rise under the agreed 2°C.China has become the global leader in solar energy – and the country has already crushed its own 2020 renewable energy target in the process. India has committed to installing 100 GW of solar by 2022, which would raise its renewable energy capacity to meet one quarter of the country’s total energy demand. Both China and India have also stalled or closed a significant number of coal plants in the past few years as they shift more and more towards renewable energy. This is an important movement as these are two of the biggest emitters worldwide with rapidly growing electricity demands.Morocco has emerged as the green leader as well among developing nations, with a goal to produce more than half of its own energy needs by 2030. This will be made possible through its growing network of more than 50 public and private solar, wind, and hydro projects. This has inspired other countries in the region to set their own climate goals, with the Organization of Islamic Cooperation States pledging to reduce GHGs through a 10 per cent renewable energy target. The lowest solar price bids recorded in the past year have all been for large-scale solar power plants in the Middle East.However, solar deployment is slowing in developed countries and many of the renewable targets that have been set will not be enough to keep temperature rises under 2°C. Europe, the cradle of solar, has been on a generally downward trend over the past few years. The US, despite currently being the world’s second largest solar power market, is at risk of losing its spot as potentially devastating tariffs on solar modules and their recent rejection of the Paris Agreement will greatly hinder their solar industry.It is clear that more needs to be done to ensure that solar takes on a growing role in the global energy market to reduce GHGs and provide greater energy security worldwide.Firstly, ambition and momentum must be scaled up – we need to close the gap between renewable targets and the INDCs in order for the climate pledges of countries to be effective and catalyse a transformational energy transition.Next, clear and stable policies need to be put in place to ensure that the benefits of cost-effective solar are not wasted through needless tariffs, taxes and other barriers. Removing these barriers will help to increase investment in solar, which will further decrease prices and induce innovation to make solar power an even more effective energy source.We need to support initiatives such as the World Trade Organisation’s Environmental Goods Agreements (EGA), which aims to remove barriers to trade in environmental or green goods that are crucial for environmental protection and climate change mitigation. This has the potential to be the first ever worldwide agreement to facilitate trade in the solar sector, encouraging R&D&I to further develop the industry, creating thousands of jobs globally and transitioning to a more effective low-carbon economy. SolarPower Europe’s Industrial Competitiveness Strategy for example could support 300,000 direct and indirect jobs in Europe by 2030, up from 120,000 today.Finally, we must stop subsidising highly polluting energy sources which are costing society billions, by fostering energy poverty, health issues and environmental degradation rather than helping to contribute to a sustainable future.Solar power is not an ‘alternative’ energy source – it is here to stay and will need to become a bigger part of the energy market if we are serious about meeting both our decarbonisation goals and electricity needs. ■ABOUT THE AUTHORSJames Watson is the CEO of SolarPower Europe (formerly EPIA: European Photovoltaic Industry Association) based in Brussels, Belgium. He joined SolarPower Europe in July 2014 after seven years of working in the energy sector in Brussels with the consultancy Weber Shandwick. Prior to this he worked for the European Commission, posted for two years as an expert in Africa working on trade and sustainable development. Earlier in his career, Dr Watson worked for various UK government bodies and worked as a lecturer in Environmental Law at the University of Manchester.Alyssa Pek is Communications Executive at SolarPower Europe. She has previously worked for the European Volunteer Centre in Brussels and the Global Gathering Place, a refugee and immigration help centre, in Canada. Ms Pek holds an MA in Political Communication and Strategy with a specialisation in International Development from the University of Kent’s Brussels School of International Studies.“CLEAR AND STABLE POLICIES NEED TO BE PUT IN PLACE TO ENSURE THAT THE BENEFITS OF COST-EFFECTIVE SOLAR ARE NOT WASTED THROUGH NEEDLESS TARIFFS, TAXES AND OTHER BARRIERS”Pictured: Alyssa PekPictured: Dr James WatsonSUSTAINABLE ENERGY 045