Welcome to the Solar Generation! By September this year, Spain will see power coming from the largest rooftop solar power station in the world.
The Guardian reports that it has a capacity of 12 megawatts of power, and is made up of 85,000 lightweight solar panels covering an area of two million square feet.

The photovoltaic panels,which convert sunlight into electricity, will be positioned on the roof of a General Motors (GM) car factory in Zaragoza, eastern Spain. This plant will contribute to about a third of the plant’s power needs. According to the article, GM plans to install solar panels at another 11 plants across Europe.

In fact the latest green PR phrase in the Solar power business dictionary is ‘solar-as –a –service.’ Which means homeowners can get solar panels from a company but they don’t pay for the equipment or maintenance of the panels. Instead, just pay for the solar electricity they use.

While the development of solar energy dates back more than 100 years, there has been a steady recent resurgence in the development of solar power as a mainstream energy source. In fact, it is agreed that solar electricity could soon be a competitive alternative to conventional retail power in many regions. Importantly, solar power is non-polluting, a crucial benefit when the cost of removing pollutants from the environment is considered.
A Worldwatch Institute report has revealed that Europe surpassed Japan to lead the world in solar cell manufacturing. Indeed Germany is the world leader in solar photovoltaic installations, accounting for almost half the world total in 2007.
A new report, The Future of Solar Power-Key technologies and drivers for a solar future, looks at future of solar power generation, the key technologies, and examines the efficiency and economics of the different solar power generation systems.