Solar PV will play an important role in rallying our productivity to create a sustainable civilization – SPE

January 23, 2026
LUT University

Since the existence of civilizations, monumental projects have been undertaken such as the Pyramids of Giza, the Great Wall of China, the Gothic cathedrals or the Apollo program. Significant labor and resources were invested in such projects, ranging from 0.5% to 10% of the available productivity in the society in question, and lasting anywhere from a few years to more than a century. Such monumental projects can be divided into five categories: culture, infrastructure, technology, war and conflict, and disaster relief. A recent study by Forschungszentrum Jülich, Helmholtz Institute Erlangen Nürnberg for Renewable Energies and LUT University entitled Joining our productivity to create a sustainable global civilization examined monumental projects and their connection with overproduction.

Since the Industrial Revolution, there has been unprecedented prosperity around the world, along with vast increases in life expectancy, reductions in infant mortality, reductions in famine, lifting people out of poverty and creating an unparalleled standard of living for many. These benefits were made possible by ever-increasing fuel consumption. At the same time, the excessive consumption of fossil fuels has led to several consequences, especially environmental destruction and climate change.

Achieving a global emission-free energy system can be considered a monumental project. Depending on various sources, such as McKinsey, BNEF, the International Energy Agency or the United Nations, the annual expenditure required to achieve this goal could be between 0.7 and 1.3% of global gross domestic product (GDP), to be allocated for a few decades. Such spending falls within the range of accepted social choices of the past, for example, military spending during the Cold War (e.g. 3% of United States GDP for decades) or the Belt and Road Initiative (estimated 0.75% of China’s GDP).

Solar PV is gaining ground in the sustainability-driven energy system

The ongoing global energy transition has several facets, with solar energy at its core accounting for more than 70% of all energy newly installed power capacity in the world in the recent past as the fastest emerging energy source since the industrial revolution, and positioning solar energy as one first solution for energy supply all over the world. Falling costs of solar energy and additional renewable energy technologies, complemented by growth battery storageform the basis of comprehensive electrification. Since the mid-1990s studies on the global energy transition It regularly appears that the contribution of solar energy to the global energy supply will be approximately 70% by the middle of the century.

The energetic sustainability of solar PV has improved since the invention of the silicon solar cell. The rate at which solar panels have improved over time has been consistent and high for decades. For example the energy needed to make a solar panel has been reduced by 14% each time the number of installations doubled between the 1970s and 2010. This learning process has been made possible by continuously increasing efficiency, longer technology lifespan and a reduction in material use per rated power, as summarized in a recent report. publication by international PV experts. The energy payback time for PV systems varies globally between 0.44 – 1.42 years and in Europe between 0.89 – 1.24 years, depending on location. The low payback period also results in a great value for the energy returned on the investment: a PV system used for 30 years generates between twenty and seventy times the energy needed for its production. The lifespan of PV systems can be further increased to 50 years in the longer term. System-level studies have shown that the energy sustainability of solar energy remains robust even when taking into account additional energy investments required for batteries, complementary renewable energy technologies and curtailment, both global And regional scales.

Rebalancing within safe and just planetary boundaries, powered by solar energy

Solar PV can emerge as the key driver for a sustainable civilization. This would mean that all people are provided with all the energy necessary for the highest standard of living estimated need 150-200 TW_P of solar PV installations by the end of this century. A comprehensive Solar-to-X economy across all energy sectors will become a key feature in many regions around the world. The upper limit of the supply of solar PV installations would even include the enormous energy demand removal of carbon dioxide activities to rebalance civilization within safety and justice planetary boundarieswhich corresponds to approximately 10 – 12% of global primary energy supply and can be approximately 0.4 – 0.7% of the costs global GDP Unpleasant yield to 1.0 ℃ with approximately 350 ppm atmospheric CO₂ concentration. In this way, PV installations can help prevent the removal of carbon dioxide global GDP loss of about 8% if the unintended consequences of our productivity are not addressed. Achieving permanent climate security and the associated investments can be considered a highly profitable undertaking of civilization in the line of monumental projects of history. The high energy productivity of solar energy is an important driver for achieving a sustainable civilization.

Authors: Christian Breyer, Ian Marius Peters and Dominik Keiner

This article is part of a monthly column from LUT University.

Research at LUT University includes various analyzes related to energy, heat, transport, desalination, industry and negative CO₂ emission options. Power-to-X research is a core subject at the university, integrated into the focus areas Planetary Resources, Business and Society, Digital Revolution and Energy Transition. Solar energy plays a key role in all aspects of research.