Powering the Renewable Energy Transition: George Busenberg Examines Global Solar Policy

“Renewable energy gives us the opportunity for a new global industrial revolution,” said George Busenberg, associate professor of environmental management and policy in the Environmental Studies Concentration at SUA. But in order for these energy technologies to be deployed at scale, he explained, government policies must be in place to support them.

Busenberg’s new paper, “The Policy Evolution of Solar Energy,” offers important insights on how policy can drive long-term investments in solar power. Published in the inaugural issue of Occasional Papers, a joint initiative of the Soka Institute for Global Solutions and the Office of Academic Affairs, the paper is the first in a planned series on the policy history of alternative energy. In future installments of this series, Busenberg will examine wind power and hydropower.

“The overall purpose of the series is to ensure that the essential lessons of energy history are widely available to inform future energy policy decisions,” he said.

Occasional Papers is the ideal publication venue for this scholarship — and not only because the research topic closely aligns with the mission of the Soka Institute for Global Solutions and its focus on sustainability. This open-access digital publication makes new research widely available to global audiences and facilitates impact far beyond the academic community.

In clear and concise language that makes the paper accessible to laypeople and experts alike, Busenberg traces the policy history of solar power, from the first practical application of solar technology on a U.S. satellite in 1958 to the low-cost and modular solar photovoltaic systems currently in use around the world. The paper elucidates the major motivations behind pro-solar policy — including energy security as well as the mitigation of climate change and air pollution — and analyzes key energy policies in China, Germany, Japan, and the United States.

“Solar energy is now a competitor in the energy space and has momentum on a global scale,” Busenberg said.

Technological advancements in solar power and battery storage have drastically reduced the cost of solar energy systems, making them a practical and economically viable choice for many countries. And while the extensive use of land that solar energy requires can raise site conflicts, innovations like elevated solar canopies can help address some of these challenges.

“Solar is particularly helpful in low-income and remote communities that may be far from the grid,” Busenberg said. Agrivoltaic systems, for example, enable animal grazing and the cultivation of shade crops under solar canopies.

Busenberg’s thorough study of solar policy history, together with the forthcoming papers in his renewable energy series, represents a critical effort to “share energy information for global progress, and to do so in a clear manner that is accessible to people who don’t have energy expertise,” he said. “The energy endeavor is so vast that it requires the involvement of people who are not technical experts. Because these projects are expensive and involve siting considerations, public and political support matter.”

If you are interested in learning more, you can read the full text of “The Policy Evolution of Solar Energy” in Occasional Papers.