An inflection point has been hit in the global solar market that will see solar scale to provide significant CO₂e savings by 2020. Accelerating the growth of solar in targeted local markets could achieve even greater reductions in emissions.
For example, parts of Africa and India and island nations are all promising solar markets that require information, financing, and policy support to accelerate adoption.
Solar is attractive in these markets for a number of reasons. Solar is price competitive with peak power in many markets. Solar energy eliminates the downside risk of variable fuel prices at considerable value in the face of rising global energy prices and increasing fuel price volatility. The distributed nature of the power source will become increasingly important for both security reasons and independence from grid infrastructure in developing markets – particularly as energy storage technology becomes more cost effective.
Solar has the potential to deliver over a billion tons of CO₂e savings by 2020.

Market-based Approaches
Additional demonstration projects for solar focused on high grid-penetration applications in developed countries can accelerate market adoption. Trends in solar in the past three years include an increasing proportion of grid-tied installations. Although solar technology has been demonstrated widely, high-penetration levels of solar on the grid have not yet been fully demonstrated and are needed to increase utility comfort with solar.
The second market accelerator, also based on utility operations, relates to pricing. Time of day pricing makes solar much more attractive. A third accelerator is an integral component of all well-functioning markets: information. Information regarding successful financing schemes (e.g., the Berkeley property tax model) and successful city-level implementation will further accelerate adoption. In developing countries, financing for solar for individuals, villages, and larger municipalities is critical. New business models devised around potential back-up options for power or storage are also needed.