The Future Is Solar: 3 Things I Learnt as an OpenSolar Intern

After my sister completed her GCSEs this summer, I was curious to see how today’s students are being introduced to renewable energy. After spending the summer as a research intern at OpenSolar and seeing just how fast the solar industry is moving, I expected the curriculum to showcase all the incredible progress made over the past decade. Instead, I discovered that the AQA syllabus has barely changed since I sat the same exams over 7 years ago – repeating familiar arguments and placing greater emphasis on the limitations of solar than on its remarkable progress and potential.

The reality is, this information was already outdated when I studied it years ago, and it feels even more misplaced in 2025. Time and time again, the same misconceptions are repeated: that solar is too expensive, that it takes up too much space, and that it only works during the day. None of this is true. The evidence has been clear for years, yet the message never seems to cut through.

If we can’t get the facts right in textbooks, how are we supposed to get them right in the world? How can you expect a generation to think differently, to build differently, when their starting point is a syllabus that shrugs at the future and says, “don’t bother”?

Solar has come a long way, yet our school curriculums are still stuck in the past. So, after a month at OpenSolar, I wanted to try and set the record straight.

“Solar is too expensive” – A Myth Debunked

Let’s be clear: solar isn’t expensive – it’s the complete opposite. The International Energy Agency (IEA) has just declared that solar is now the cheapest and fastest-growing energy technology in history.

Since its inception, the cost of solar power dropped by 99% as of 2013, and prices have continued to fall ever since. This relentless decline has driven the industry to grow at more than 25% per year over the past decade. As with any technology, scale drives efficiency: the more panels produced, the cheaper they become, and as a result of this, global manufacturing is now expanding at an unprecedented pace, pushing the industry ahead of the trajectory required for global net-zero targets. (EBirchy.com) & (IEA)

If solar is now the cheapest and fastest-growing source of electricity in history, it seems crazy that solar is still not considered a convincing energy solution.

“Solar only generates electricity on a small scale”

Another common misconception about solar is that it takes up too much space, something the AQA curriculum repeats, calling it ‘small scale.’ The reality is the opposite. Fossil fuels occupy about 2% of the world’s land, while a Stanford study shows we’d need only 1% to power the entire planet with solar. In other words, a clean energy future would use less land than fossil fuels do today. (Stanford University)

We don’t often stop to think about how much space fossil fuels take up—oil rigs, coal mines, endless pipelines. They’re everywhere, built into our landscapes and economies. Yet the minute solar comes up, people worry about land use. The truth is, solar is way more flexible: panels can sit on rooftops, cover unused land, or even float on water. That means we can scale it without eating into farmland or sensitive areas. And the tech is only getting cooler—China’s already building solar roads, with Europe testing them too.

Additionally, solar isn’t limited to ‘small scale use’ as AQA suggests. Its real strength is its adaptability. Solar can power a single home or an entire nation. Take the Xinjiang Solar Farm in north-west China, finished in June 2024: spread over 200,000 acres (about the size of New York), it produces 6 billion kilowatt-hours a year which is enough to power a country the size of Luxembourg. Projects like this show just how far solar has come, delivering more power with far less ecological impact than fossil fuels. (The Independent)

“Solar only works during the day”

A lot of people still think solar only works when the sun is shining. But thanks to huge advances in battery storage, that’s no longer the case. Solar can now provide power around the clock. Once again, prices are falling fast: in 2024 alone, the global average cost of battery storage dropped by 40%. (Bloomberg NEF)

Equally, the next breakthrough is already on the horizon with sodium-ion “salt” batteries. These batteries remove the need for lithium, a material that is not only expensive but also vulnerable to price swings driven by geopolitical risks and supply chain failures. China has already commissioned its first large-scale sodium-ion plant, signalling just how quickly this technology is advancing. (EMBER 2025)

The innovations in new storage technology are already undeniable. Detailed studies now show that in the world’s sunniest cities, solar paired with battery storage could supply more than 90% of annual electricity demand—powering almost every hour of every day and every night. Even in cloudy Birmingham, UK, the same research found solar could cover 62% of yearly demand. (That may not sound like a lot, but supplying nearly two-thirds of a major city’s electricity from the sun is a game-changer!). It proves that with the right mix of solar and storage, reliable clean power isn’t just for sunny regions. A significant portion of the energy transition is achievable with solar even in places better known for rain than sunshine. (EMBER 2025)

Conclusion

Just a month at OpenSolar has introduced me to these eye-opening facts that challenge everything we’re usually told about solar. And this isn’t just hype from solar companies; the data is solid, clear, and backed by real research. The worrying thing is that these are just 3 of the many ‘solar myths’ that still distort how we see solar energy. It’s time to change the story.

When will we stop taking fossil fuels for granted? Surely, the answer starts with education? AQA and other curriculum leaders have a real chance to lead the way. How can we expect to actually achieve the energy transition everyone talks about if we aren’t teaching the next generation the cold, hard facts about solutions already within our reach? Especially when this same generation will be stepping into an industry forecast to create 100 million jobs over the next decade. If we don’t prepare them for that future, we’ll miss a huge opportunity: not just to accelerate the energy transition, but to give the next generation the skills and knowledge to thrive in it. (EBirchy.com)