Solar appears to have reached some kind of super critical singularity, or tipping point. Whatever you want to call it, something is happening with solar that has never happened before and that many people never thought would never be possible.
In the first half of 2025 China installed more than 250 gigawatts of solar energy. For context, the PJM Grid has a combined total capacity of 182 gigawatts. So the solar China installed just in the past 6 months is capable of meeting 130% of PJM’s peak demand
And this is not just happening in China. In 2024 Pakistan imported 17 gigawatts of solar power, equal to the countries entire installed capacity of gas power, and twice the installed capacity of their coal fleet, imported in a single year.
For the first time Texas is regularly meeting roughly half of its power demand with solar energy, and California, the fourth largest economy in the world, can at times meet 100% of its power demand with solar energy. So much solar has been built in California that the use of gas for electricity generation has decreased 40% since 2023
Globally, the world installed 64% more solar so far in 2025 than we did in 2024, which was itself a record smashing year, an exponential growth rate of head spinning speed
This is all happening because solar energy is now by far the cheapest form of electricity generation the fastest to build, and the cleanest to boot.
To celebrate this bright spot in energy news, Third Act has declared today, September 21st as Sun - Day, a day to celebrate the amazing power of the sun. To talk about what this new solar paradigm means for Maryland I am joined by Leah Meredith who is the Mid-Atlantic Regional Director at the Solar Energy Industry Association SEIA, or as she is affectionately known, Leah with SEIA
