SOLAR REVOLUTION

In Solar Revolution, fund manager and former corporate buyout specialistTravis Bradford argues--on the basis of standard business and economic forecastingmodels--that over the next two decades solar energy will increasingly become thebest and cheapest choice for most electricity and energy applications. SolarRevolution outlines the path by which the transition to solar technology andsustainable energy practices will occur.Developments in the photovoltaic (PV)industry over the last ten years have made direct electricity generation from PVcells a cost-effective and feasible energy solution, despite the common view that PVtechnology appeals only to a premium niche market. Bradford shows that PVelectricity today has become the choice of hundreds of thousands of mainstreamhomeowners and businesses in many markets worldwide, including Japan, Germany, andthe American Southwest.Solar energy will eventually be the cheapest source of energyin nearly all markets and locations because PV can bypass the aging and fragileelectricity grid and deliver its power directly to the end user, fundamentallychanging the underlying economics of energy. As the scale of PV production increasesand costs continue to decline at historic rates, demand for PV electricity willoutpace supply of systems for years to come.Ultimately, the shift from fossil fuelsto solar energy will take place not because solar energy is better for theenvironment or energy security, or because of future government subsidies or as yetundeveloped technology. The solar revolution is already occurring through decisionsmade by self-interested energy users. The shift to solar energy is inevitable andwill be as transformative as the last century's revolutions in information andcommunication technologies.