‘It’s offensively cheap’: How solar power is quietly becoming bigger than nuclear
https://www.bbc.com/future/article/20261023-how-solar-became-bigger-than-nuclear?fbclid=IwdGRjcAVNaXVleHRuA2FlbQIxMQBwZG9mBXNydGMGYXBwX2lkDDM1MDY4NTUzMTcyOAABHq65qEjNFDUiowW74LrUfG8y6rKp4_XvTq4qW-Q5Bb1e8lTmusIsq9A4ozEO_aem_cYU9VPRw2uPZTT5Tgm0p5A

After defying projections, solar’s dramatic growth means it is now overtaking nuclear as a global power source. Here are seven reasons for solar’s success, and where it might go from here.

The world’s solar power is crossing a threshold. A decade ago, it barely registered on a global scale, providing just 1% of the world’s power. In 2026, it will almost certainly increase to 10% of power, and overtake nuclear, a mainstay of electricity since the late 1970s.

Globally, solar electricity generation quietly overtook nuclear power (just) in 2025, according to statistics from UK-based energy think tank Ember. And BBC analysis of Ember data over the past 12 months up to September 2026 shows it clearly outstripping nuclear, producing 13% more power.

“[Solar] generating more electricity than all the world’s nuclear power plants is a pretty insane stat, for sure,” says Dave Jones, co-founder of Ember.

China’s massive solar parks are creating cooler, more humid, and less windy conditions beneath the panels, helping soil retain more moisture. Field research in the Talatan Desert found measurable changes in soil chemistry, vegetation, and microbial activity.

The shade from solar panels reduces evaporation and protects fragile plants from harsh heat and wind, creating conditions that can support vegetation growth. Similar observations from solar sites in western China suggest these microclimate effects can improve soil moisture and nutrient cycling.

Researchers say prolonged changes in moisture, salinity, microbes, and nutrient cycling may permanently alter desert soils compared with untouched areas. Scientists are still determining whether these changes will ultimately help restore degraded ecosystems or create new ecological trade-offs as solar farms expand.

Source:
Field Research Published in Slashdot

“China is building a solar farm so large it can be seen from space — and it will power a region the size of France.

In the Gobi Desert of Inner Mongolia, China is constructing the Kubuqi Solar-Thermal Power Base — a clean energy complex spanning over 1,600 square kilometres of desert that no one was farming, mining, or living on. When complete, it will generate over 100 gigawatts of combined solar and wind power — more electricity than the entire United Kingdom consumes in a year. No country has attempted anything close to this at a single site. The scale makes every other solar project on Earth look like a rooftop panel.

The engineering is matched by the ecology. China has discovered that solar panels in the Gobi do something unexpected: they create shade, reduce evaporation, and allow vegetation to establish beneath them — slowly reversing desertification on land that had been expanding desert for decades. Sheep graze between the rows. Native grasses return. A project built for electricity is simultaneously reclaiming land for life. The Chinese term for this is “”photovoltaic poverty alleviation meets ecological restoration”” — and the results are being photographed by satellites watching the desert turn green.

This is not the China that exported pollution with its manufacturing boom. This is a different calculation entirely — a country that understands that the land it damaged building the old economy must be healed building the new one. The Gobi is not just generating electricity. It is generating a model that desert nations from North Africa to Central Asia are now studying with extraordinary attention.

Source: National Energy Administration (NEA) China, Desert Solar Base Development Plan 2024; Chinese Academy of Sciences, Gobi Ecological Restoration Report 2024

#solarenergy #China #gobidesert #RenewableEnergy “

The number of fires involving solar panels in the UK increased 133% from 2022 to 2025, while the number of solar installations increased by 52%, according to research from insurer QBE.

UK fire services reported 212 fires involving solar panels in 2025, compared with 91 in 2022. There were 131 in 2023 and 155 in 2024.

Meanwhile, the number of solar installations increased from 1,268,795 in 2022 to 1,933,148 in 2025. By May 2026, the UK had reached 2,047,225 solar installations.

The leading reported cause in 2025 was DC cabling and connectors, linked to 49 fires. The solar panel itself was linked to 36 fires, battery banks to 23, and inverters to 19.

Most of the fires occurred at residential properties, which recorded 102 incidents in 2025. Commercial properties had 48 fires, industrial buildings had 14, and solar farms had 14.

Commercial solar-related fires increased from 33 in 2024 to 48 in 2025, while industrial fires increased from 6 to 14.

QBE says loose connections, damaged wires and faulty wiring can cause electrical arc faults and other failures. It recommends using certified installers and regularly inspecting solar systems.

The fires are also becoming more serious. The number that spread beyond the solar installation nearly tripled, rising from 33 in 2022 to 88 in 2025.

QBE says the rapid growth of battery storage in solar systems is another concern because lithium-ion battery fires can undergo thermal runaway, causing fires that can be difficult to control.

The figures come from Freedom of Information requests to UK fire services made by QBE in February 2026. The installation figures come from UK Government Solar Photovoltaic Statistics.

Importantly, the figures refer to fires involving solar-panel systems and do not mean that solar panels themselves are inherently dangerous. QBE’s data points particularly to wiring, connectors and other electrical equipment as important sources of fires.

Source: QBE European Operations, August 2026; UK Government Solar Photovoltaic Statistics.

Hoymiles has introduced the first UL 3700-listed plug-in balcony solar microinverter in the United States, marking a major step toward legalizing plug-and-play residential solar. The HiFlow Pro plugs directly into a standard 120-volt household outlet, allowing homeowners and renters to generate electricity without a traditional rooftop installation.

The microinverter complies with the new UL 3700 safety standard, published in late 2025 specifically for plug-in photovoltaic systems. It includes anti-islanding protection that automatically disconnects during power outages, improving safety for utility workers and making plug-in solar easier for utilities and regulators to approve.

A typical balcony solar system consists of one or two solar panels connected to the HiFlow Pro microinverter, which converts DC power into grid-compatible AC electricity. Multiple units can be connected in parallel, allowing a maximum combined output of up to 1,200 watts, enough to offset a meaningful portion of a home’s daytime electricity consumption.

Currently, plug-in balcony solar is gaining momentum across the U.S. Eight states have already enacted enabling legislation, while many others are considering similar laws. The technology is already widely used in Europe, especially Germany, where millions of balcony solar systems have been installed to help reduce household electricity bills.

Although the HiFlow Pro is a microinverter rather than an energy storage system and therefore provides no battery storage, it enables safe, low-cost distributed solar generation using existing household outlets. The launch represents an important milestone for expanding affordable rooftop and balcony solar access to renters, apartment residents, and homeowners across the United States.

The world just added more clean power in one year than India’s entire electricity grid can hold.

In 2025 alone, countries installed 692 gigawatts of new renewable energy, according to the International Renewable Energy Agency. That is the biggest single year jump ever recorded. Solar panels did most of the heavy lifting, making up nearly three quarters of everything added. ⚡ Global renewable capacity has now crossed 5,149 gigawatts, or about half of all power generation on Earth.

Behind every panel and turbine is a quiet race against time. Scientists have long warned that the next decade will decide how much warming the planet locks in. This surge shows the shift is no longer a promise. It is already happening. Could this be the turning point we needed all along?

Source: IRENA Renewable Capacity Statistics 2026