Global Solar Council marks decade of solar growth and urges faster expansion

The Global Solar Council (GSC) celebrated its 10‑year anniversary, highlighting that more than 2 terawatts of solar PV have been installed worldwide, creating 4.9 million jobs and avoiding over 2.4 billion tonnes of CO₂ emissions. CEO Sonia Dunlop said the sector must scale to over 8 TW by 2030, requiring cheaper finance, smarter grids, storage investment, resilient supply chains and a skilled workforce. The council urges governments and investors to act now to remove systemic barriers.

At the same time, the industry is shifting toward more localized supply chains. Shipping disruptions during the COVID‑19 pandemic raised container costs by up to 440 % on some routes, prompting a move to on‑shoring of solar components. U.S. policy such as the Inflation Reduction Act is supporting domestic manufacturing, while the International Energy Agency warns that about half of clean‑technology shipments pass through maritime chokepoints like the Strait of Malacca. Companies such as Nextpower are leading efforts to localise production, which is expected to improve energy security, reduce carbon emissions and strengthen public acceptance of the energy transition.