Uploaded December 2025 | Updated September 2026, 2 weeks ago
Solar power has gone from niche and expensive to the fastest-growing source of new energy on Earth, dropping in cost by more than 99% in just a few decades and surpassing one terawatt of installed utility‑scale capacity worldwide. In this episode of Climate Emergency Forum, host Herb Simmens is joined by Dr. Peter Carter and climate system scientist Paul Beckwith to explore how far solar has come, why it is now central to stabilizing the climate, and why there is still “a hell of a way to go.” The discussion sets solar within the wider planetary emergency and the race to stay as close as possible to 1.5°C.
This video was recorded on December 10th, 2025, and published on December 21st, 2025, and represents the opinions of the discussion participants.
The panel examines breakthroughs such as utility‑scale solar doubling roughly every three years since 2016, innovative applications from offshore solar platforms to “balcony solar,” and the emergence of the first commercial white solar panels that both generate power and reflect heat. They highlight the staggering pace of deployment in China, which installed more solar in six months of 2025 than the United States has in its entire history, and unpack why STEM‑driven policymaking has enabled that rapid scale‑up. At the same time, they address political headwinds, including actions by the Trump administration and other governments to slow renewables and preserve fossil fuel interests.
Finally, Herb, Peter, and Paul connect solar to the larger transformation described in the UN’s GEO7 “Transform or Collapse” report, emphasizing the need to phase out fossil fuels, end subsidies, and redesign economies that currently reward environmental destruction. They note that solar still supplies only about 2% of global primary energy and roughly 7% of electricity, underscoring how quickly deployment must accelerate in this decisive decade. The episode closes with concrete examples of what viewers can do in their own lives—from rooftop and community solar to simply using less energy—and invites you to support Climate Emergency Forum’s work through subscribing, sharing, and visiting climateemergencyforum.org.
Links:
- Support Our Mission
climateemergencyforum.org/donate.html
- World hits 'heroic achievement' of 1tw operating utility-scale-solar capacity
pv-tech.org/world-hits-heroic-achievement-1tw-operating-utility-scale-solar-capacity
- Swiss tech does the impossible, creates white solar panels
ediweekly.com/swiss-tech-impossible-creates-white-solar-panels
- Photoelectric effect
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Photoelectric_effect
- H1 2025: China installs more solar than rest of the world combined
electrek.co/2025/09/02/h1-2025-china-installs-more-solar-than-rest-of-the-world-combined
- Global Environment Outlook 7
unep.org/geo/global-environment-outlook-7
- ExxonMobil Cuts Planned Low-Carbon Investment by One Third as Profit and Production Take Priority
netzerocompare.com/articles/exxonmobil-cuts-planned-low-carbon-investment-by-one-third-as-profit-and-production-take-priority
- Days after COP30, Brazil Wealemed Amazon Safeguards
insideclimatenews.org/news/09122025/brazil-weakens-amazon-forest-protection
- Africa's forests are emtting more CO2 than they absorb
newscientist.com/article/2506287-africas-forests-are-now-emitting-more-co2-than-they-absorb
- Here Comes the Sun
penguinrandomhouse.ca/books/807438/here-comes-the-sun-by-bill-mckibben/9781324106234
Regular Panelists:
Dr. Peter Carter - MD, Expert IPCC Reviewer and the director of the Climate Emergency Institute
Paul Beckwith - Climate Systems Scientist. Professor at the University of Ottawa's Paleoclimatology Laboratory as well as at Carleton University
Herb Simmens - Author, Co-founder of the Healthy Planet Action Coalition (HPAC), Climate Emergency Board Member and former college instructor.
Video Production:
Charles Gregoire - Electrical Engineer, Webmaster and IT prime for FacingFuture.Earth & the Climate Emergency Forum; Climate Reality Leader
Heidi Brault - Video production and website assistant, Organizer and convener, Metadata technician, COP team lead for the Climate Emergency Forum & COP team organizer for Facing Future; BA (Psychology); Climate Reality Leader
Our Website:
climateemergencyforum.org
Support Our Work:
climateemergencyforum.org/donate.html
Attributions:
Background Music:
- Title: Through the City II
- Author: Crowander
- Source: crowander.com
Image and Video: climateemergencyforum.org/assets/attributions/2025/2025-12-21-utility-scale-solar-doubles-every-3-years-is-it-enough.html
Solar power has gone from niche and expensive to the fastest-growing source of new energy on Earth, dropping in cost by more than 99% in just a few decades and surpassing one terawatt of installed utility‑scale capacity worldwide. In this episode of Climate Emergency Forum, host Herb Simmens is joined by Dr. Peter Carter and climate system scientist Paul Beckwith to explore how far solar has come, why it is now central to stabilizing the climate, and why there is still “a hell of a way to go.” The discussion sets solar within the wider planetary emergency and the race to stay as close as possible to 1.5°C.
This video was recorded on December 10th, 2025, and published on December 21st, 2025, and represents the opinions of the discussion participants.
The panel examines breakthroughs such as utility‑scale solar doubling roughly every three years since 2016, innovative applications from offshore solar platforms to “balcony solar,” and the emergence of the first commercial white solar panels that both generate power and reflect heat. They highlight the staggering pace of deployment in China, which installed more solar in six months of 2025 than the United States has in its entire history, and unpack why STEM‑driven policymaking has enabled that rapid scale‑up. At the same time, they address political headwinds, including actions by the Trump administration and other governments to slow renewables and preserve fossil fuel interests.
Finally, Herb, Peter, and Paul connect solar to the larger transformation described in the UN’s GEO7 “Transform or Collapse” report, emphasizing the need to phase out fossil fuels, end subsidies, and redesign economies that currently reward environmental destruction. They note that solar still supplies only about 2% of global primary energy and roughly 7% of electricity, underscoring how quickly deployment must accelerate in this decisive decade. The episode closes with concrete examples of what viewers can do in their own lives—from rooftop and community solar to simply using less energy—and invites you to support Climate Emergency Forum’s work through subscribing, sharing, and visiting climateemergencyforum.org.
Links:
- Support Our Mission
climateemergencyforum.org/donate.html
- World hits 'heroic achievement' of 1tw operating utility-scale-solar capacity
pv-tech.org/world-hits-heroic-achievement-1tw-operating-utility-scale-solar-capacity
- Swiss tech does the impossible, creates white solar panels
ediweekly.com/swiss-tech-impossible-creates-white-solar-panels
- Photoelectric effect
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Photoelectric_effect
- H1 2025: China installs more solar than rest of the world combined
electrek.co/2025/09/02/h1-2025-china-installs-more-solar-than-rest-of-the-world-combined
- Global Environment Outlook 7
unep.org/geo/global-environment-outlook-7
- ExxonMobil Cuts Planned Low-Carbon Investment by One Third as Profit and Production Take Priority
netzerocompare.com/articles/exxonmobil-cuts-planned-low-carbon-investment-by-one-third-as-profit-and-production-take-priority
- Days after COP30, Brazil Wealemed Amazon Safeguards
insideclimatenews.org/news/09122025/brazil-weakens-amazon-forest-protection
- Africa's forests are emtting more CO2 than they absorb
newscientist.com/article/2506287-africas-forests-are-now-emitting-more-co2-than-they-absorb
- Here Comes the Sun
penguinrandomhouse.ca/books/807438/here-comes-the-sun-by-bill-mckibben/9781324106234
Regular Panelists:
Dr. Peter Carter - MD, Expert IPCC Reviewer and the director of the Climate Emergency Institute
Paul Beckwith - Climate Systems Scientist. Professor at the University of Ottawa's Paleoclimatology Laboratory as well as at Carleton University
Herb Simmens - Author, Co-founder of the Healthy Planet Action Coalition (HPAC), Climate Emergency Board Member and former college instructor.
Video Production:
Charles Gregoire - Electrical Engineer, Webmaster and IT prime for FacingFuture.Earth & the Climate Emergency Forum; Climate Reality Leader
Heidi Brault - Video production and website assistant, Organizer and convener, Metadata technician, COP team lead for the Climate Emergency Forum & COP team organizer for Facing Future; BA (Psychology); Climate Reality Leader
Our Website:
climateemergencyforum.org
Support Our Work:
climateemergencyforum.org/donate.html
Attributions:
Background Music:
- Title: Through the City II
- Author: Crowander
- Source: crowander.com
Image and Video: climateemergencyforum.org/assets/attributions/2025/2025-12-21-utility-scale-solar-doubles-every-3-years-is-it-enough.html
