Development of Solar Energy: Current Status and Future Challenges from a Global Perspective

With the development of civilization and the growth of the world's population, the need for electricity also increases. Today, the main electricity sources are nuclear power plants (NPPs) and hydroelectric power plants (HPPs) that run on hydrocarbon fuels such as coal, peat, gas, and fuel oil. But these generating electricity methods have serious drawbacks, for example, the depletion of hydrocarbon natural resources, which leads to their shortage and rise in price. Nuclear and hydroelectric power plants cannot fully cover the need for electricity. In addition, the tragic events in the history of nuclear energy, e.g., the accident at the Chernobyl nuclear power plant, the nuclear power plant disaster in the city of Fukushima, etc., show great risks associated with the operation of nuclear power plants. Thus, solar energy engineering is the most efficient type of alternative, safe energy in the foreseeable future of mankind. This review is an effort to highlight the major progress and future challenges of using renewable energy sources.