SOLAR TO DOMINATE BY 2035, BUT AI DATA CENTERS SUSTAIN FOSSIL FUELS

Solar energy is poised to become the primary power source worldwide by 2035, driven by continued cost reductions in panel manufacturing. The projected 30% price decline will accelerate adoption across residential, commercial, and utility-scale installations, strengthening solar's competitive advantage against traditional energy sources. Yet this renewable expansion faces a counterforce: artificial intelligence infrastructure. Data centers powering AI applications consume vast amounts of electricity and often require consistent, on-demand power that current renewable grids cannot reliably provide. This demand creates persistent pressure to maintain fossil fuel capacity as backup generation and baseload power. The tension reflects a fundamental challenge in the energy transition. While solar economics improve dramatically, the explosive growth of computational workloads may prevent a complete phase-out of coal and natural gas. Energy planners must now balance renewable deployment with grid reliability demands imposed by AI's expanding footprint in global infrastructure.