— Written by Lyle Jarvis

The Solar Surge 🔋 

Over the past several years, solar has become not just a green alternative, but the cheapest form of energy globally. In fact, even since 2020, the data has spoken for itself. Utility-scale solar consistently outcompetes coal and gas on cost in most countries, even when factoring in intermittency, and it’s poised to become the largest renewable energy source by the end of the decade.

We can’t afford for developing countries to make the same mistakes as we have in building their infrastructures (i.e., 150+ years of disastrously carbon-intensive energy systems). Luckily, with solar costs plunging around the world, developing countries (e.g., vast regions of Africa) have the opportunity to skip over coal and gas altogether, and pick up solar from the get go (we call this leapfrogging).

Quick note for further reading on the solar boom in Africa: You might remember Energicity from our Reinventing Tomorrow series –  an African-based minigrid utility bringing electricity to several Sub-Saharan countries.

The bottom line is, the question isn’t whether solar wins, it’s how quickly, and who leads the pack.

Power Players 🏆️ 

For starters, China leads the world by a wide margin. They crossed 1 TW of photovoltaic capacity this year, and made up over half of all new global solar installations last year.

In total, the BRICS economies (led by Brazil, Russia, India, China, and South Africa) together accounted for more than half of global solar electricity generation in 2024. India, in particular, has garnered some buzz lately for its solar growth, along with Pakistan, both prime examples of how emerging markets are powering the solar revolution. These countries aren’t just adding panels, they’re building more renewable-driven infrastructures. Meanwhile in the U.S., we’re not exactly following suit.

Federal Headwinds 🇺🇸 

Here at home, the story is more complicated. Electricity bills are already climbing, and with demand set to grow sharply, the timing for clean new supply is critical.

New improvements to generation and storage (like more efficiently pairing solar farms to batteries) makes solar faster to market, more dispatchable, and versatile. Even without any subsidies, the economics strongly favor them. 

But the Trump administration has seriously undercut this potential trajectory, dismantling support for solar and wind through policy rollbacks, permitting freezes, and the withdrawal of incentive programs.  

It’s the equivalent of sending our ace pitcher back to the bench just as the season heats up, and taking our most competitive technologies off the field.

The U.S.’s bid to rival China in solar and battery manufacturing was always going to be a David-and-Goliath contest. But stripping away tools like tax credits and grants, we’re losing the possibility of a late-game comeback.

Key resources (some Pique favorites!) 

Bill McKibben’s book, Here Comes the Sun: A Last Chance for the Climate and a Fresh Chance for Civilization

Read an excerpt here, and an interview with Bill, Where Does The Climate Movement Go From Here?

The Path Forward 📈 

Despite federal pushback, solar is still making progress at the grassroots level. The New York Times put out a piece about homeowners in Columbus, Ohio, forming a rooftop-solar cooperative, uniting neighbors community ownership, cost savings, and energy independence.

Even better? Ohioans aren't the only ones. Communities across the U.S. are proving that solar is here to stay, and that policy setbacks can’t extinguish underlying innovation and momentum. But will the U.S. seize the opportunity, or let others pass us by?

Community Announcement 📅

New York! 📣 🫂 🗽 We’re coming to climate week.

Join us for a special event we're supporting alongside our friends at Google and Latitude! Go behind the scenes of Google's data centers with a live storytelling experience from award-winning podcast produced by Latitude Studios featuring the Pique produced Where The Internet Lives video series.

Learn more about the event and request to attend here!

⏰ September 23, 2025 4:00 PM - 7:00 PM EDT
📍 The Pershing Square Signature Center
🗺️ 480 West 42nd Street, Jim Houghton Way New York, NY 

Hosted by Derek Thompson (Journalist, Co-author of Abundance), Kate Brandt (Chief Sustainability Officer at Google) and more all-star experts, you'll hear stories about how AI is unlocking the next wave of innovation — accelerating clean energy technologies, supporting resiliency solutions, and modernizing the energy system.

👀 Some Stories You Might Have Missed This Week 🗞️📺:

1. California and Denmark Sign ‘Comprehensive’ Agreement on Climate and Tech | KQED

2. Ad Agency IPG was outed (and shamed) for breaking its climate pledge by working with the world’s biggest oil company (Financial Times)

3. 8 Amazon nations pledged support for Brazil’s COP30 rainforest fund (Climate Change News)