The Greek philosopher Aeschylus wrote: ‘Only barbarians lack the knowledge to orient their homes towards the sun.’ Making our homes fossil-free will be achieved through electrification, which will be largely based on solar energy, specifically photovoltaic solar energy (PV). PV generates electricity without moving parts and without noise, making it ideal for an urban environment, and it is now also economically attractive. Promising, but with new challenges. An optimal economic pathway for tackling climate change (scenarios limiting warming to 1.5 °C) requires a global PV surface area by 2050 of approximately five times the size of Belgium. This area will be partly integrated into our buildings and partly feed into the electricity grid, alongside other renewable sources from other locations (at sea, in deserts).

Perspective