'Unstoppable force' of solar power propels world to 40% clean electricity

Clean power provided 40% of the world's electricity last year for the first time since the 1940s, new figures show. Clean energy comes from nuclear and renewable sources like wind and solar. The milestone has been reached thanks to the "staggering" rise of solar, which has doubled in just three years, energy thinktank Ember said in its new report. And solar was the fastest-growing electricity source for the 20th year in a row. It now provides 7% of the world's electricity. But it remains eclipsed by wind, which grew to 8% last year, and nuclear to 9%. Hydropower - produced by running water, usually from rivers or reservoirs, and the world's oldest and largest single source of renewable power - has hovered at 14%. Phil MacDonald, Ember's managing director, said: "Paired with battery storage, solar is set to be an unstoppable force. "As the fastest-growing and largest source of new electricity, it is critical in meeting the world's ever-increasing demand for electricity." Please ... Read full article.