Solar energy has grown so ludicrously cheap over the past couple of decades that it is now projected to surpass nuclear energy as one of the main global sources of electricity. Constant instability across international energy supply chains, coupled with diminishing prices, has made solar an obvious choice for countries seeking to limit their reliance on imported energy.
The result is a massive surge in energy adoption, with the renewable source of electricity’s share of global electricity generation jumping from just 1% in 2016 to nearly 10% in 2026. After the BBC analyzed data from energy think-tank Ember for the 12 months leading to September 2026, it found that solar is already generating 13% more electricity than nuclear.
According to University of Oxford professor of energy and climate policy Jan Rosenow, solar has become the green transition’s main engine. It is the fastest growing energy source in human history and was responsible for three-quarters of the growth in global electric demand in 2025, making it the most dominant source of new energy worldwide.
The massive drive to adopt solar energy has been largely due to significant cost reductions in solar hardware that have made it incredibly cheap to produce solar electricity. By 2020, solar had become the most affordable electricity in human history, and Dave Jones, Ember’s co-founder, notes that it has scaled up, become much more efficient, and cut down silicon and silver use in solar panels in the years since. This has contributed to the decline in solar prices even more.
China’s historical solar adoption run has played a major role in pulling solar numbers up, with the Asian economy regularly adding more capacity than the rest of the world combined. In the U.S., solar energy still plays a major role in the national grid, and despite hostile action from the Trump administration, the United States now produces enough electricity from solar infrastructure to power over 30% of its homes.
Even so, University of Maryland U.S. mitigation pathways expert Alicia Zhao notes that federal policies and tariffs that hold back green energy growth will make it difficult for the U.S. to remain on par with other nations in terms of green energy cost and expansion rates.
The unreliability of fossil fuel imports has also compelled plenty of countries to invest in domestic solar energy production. With conflicts in oil-producing regions producing two back-to-back global energy crises, it has become incredibly clear that fossil fuel reliance is a threat to energy and national security. Improvements in battery technology coupled with falling battery prices have also facilitated the transition to solar.
As solar energy advances, entities like American Fusion Inc. (OTCQB: AMFN) developing other sources of clean energy have their work cut out to make utilities and users choose their offer from the many alternatives available.
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