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As our culture makes the shift away from carbon-intensive energy sources, alternative sources like solar energy from photovoltaic cells are becoming an attractive option. However, while the cost of producing solar cells has been decreasing steadily in recent years, they still require a great deal of resources to make: the silicon crystals that solar cells use not only require hazardous solvents for their production, they also need to be baked at high temperatures — 1,000ºC (1,832ºF) — to attain the purity required for their use, an energy-intensive process that can increase the final product’s carbon footprint.
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While the steady increase of greenhouse gasses in the atmosphere and the rise of global temperatures can make the state of affairs for the future of our climate seem bleak, there is positive progress being made in regards to how we, as a species, respond to the crisis. A report released recently by the Paris-based International Energy Agency revealed that over three-quarters of newly-installed electrical production in 2015 was made up of renewable energy sources, such as solar and wind power.
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Earlier this month, the country of Portugal set a new landmark achievement in power usage, with the entire country running on electricity generated solely from renewable sources; including solar, wind, and hydro-electric for a little over four days straight.

The 107-hour record was announced by Portugal’s ZERO System Sustainable Land Association, in collaboration with the Portuguese Renewable Energy Association (APREN), covering a period beginning in the morning on May 7, and concluding in the evening on May 11, a little shy of four-and-a-half days.
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Extreme levels of pollution across China are becoming catastrophic, and now Beijing has begun taking radical steps toward developing clean energy by beginning construction on a 10 square mile solar power station that will generate a massive 200 megawats of solar thermal energy.

Announced by the Qinghai development and reform commission, the plant is expected to cover 10 square miles (25.9 km²), with enough capacity to power one million households. It is also designed to store 15 hours of heat, which will enable continuous power generation. This move is expected to cut the region’s coal usage by 4.26 million tons annually, and reduce carbon dioxide emissions by 896,000 tons.
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