Evaluating the Feasibility of Clean Electricity: Low-Carbon Electricity and Solar Panels

Abstract

The viability of solar energy was addressed by analysing the technological, financial, and political feasibility of solar energy. This was done to address a literature gap in clean energy through the inclusion of the landscape of fossil fuels with carbon sequestration for emission reduction. The selected mode of analysis included a comprehensive literature review that draws out the key differences between solar energy, and fossil fuels with carbon reduction technologies. The study then drew on secondary data that illustrated a comparative analysis of the cost of solar energy, and emissions to that of traditional energy sources, as well as generation capacity of solar. The technological, financial, and political/policy factors that contribute to the findings were then discussed regarding three key metrics: feasibility, barriers, and recommendations. The findings of this study suggest that the growth in solar generation, and the decline in costs are linked directly to technological advancements, appropriate low-carbon instruments, and favourable policies. This has been demonstrated through the illustration of the declining cost of solar energy in the face of traditional energy counterparts, demonstrating significant potential for widespread implementation of clean electricity. The findings proposed in this study demonstrated the possibility of solar energy as a highly plausible method for deployment and adoption at a large scale, with the potential to compete further with fossil fuels upon additional advancement of the assessed metrics.