A report on the future of solar energy from the Department of Energy paints a sunny picture, if you will, of the next three decades, at the end of which nearly half the country’s energy will be provided by the sun. But for that to happen, big pushes need to happen along four major lines: better photovoltaics, more energy storage, lower soft costs, and putting about a million people to work.
Here’s what the report says needs to happen in each of these sectors in order to meet the ambitious goals it sets out.
Better photovoltaics
The solar cells themselves will need to continue to improve in both cost