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Solar power has been harnessed by civilisations since the days of the ancient Greeks, but it's now on the verge of being more important than ever. Tim Harford examines how much of a challenge it poses to the energy establishment, and what that could mean for the planet's future.

Available now

10 minutes

Last on

Mon 26 Aug 2019 03:50GMT

Sources

Ken Butti and John Perlin, A Golden Thread: 2500 Years of Solar Architecture and Technology, London 1981

Varun Sivaram, Taming The Sun, MIT Press 2018

Werner Weiss and Franz Mauthner, Solar Heat Worldwide: Markets and Contribution to the Energy Supply, Glesidorf 2010, Austria 2012

Jon Gertner, The Idea Factory, Penguin London 2012

Chris Goodall, The Switch, Profile Books London 2016

T P Wright "Factors Affecting the Cost of Airplanes" Journal of the Aeronautical Sciences Vol 3 February 1936

Broadcasts

  • Sat 24 Aug 2019 04:50GMT
  • Sat 24 Aug 2019 13:50GMT
  • Sun 25 Aug 2019 14:50GMT
  • Sun 25 Aug 2019 21:50GMT
  • Sun 25 Aug 2019 22:50GMT
  • Mon 26 Aug 2019 03:50GMT

Podcast