> For the complete documentation index, see [llms.txt](https://the-solar-wise.gitbook.io/the-solarpaper/llms.txt). Markdown versions of documentation pages are available by appending `.md` to page URLs; this page is available as [Markdown](https://the-solar-wise.gitbook.io/the-solarpaper/fundamentals/the-problem.md).

# The Problem

Solar is one of the fastest growing energy sources on the planet. The technology works, the economics are sound, and capital continues to flow into the sector. **What does not work is access.**

#### The energy demand keeps climbing

Global electricity demand has roughly doubled since 1990 and continues to climb every year. A large share of that demand is still met by burning coal, oil, and gas. The consequences are well documented: rising emissions, increasingly volatile weather, and a steadily worsening public health picture in regions most exposed to fossil fuel infrastructure.

Solar is the obvious answer. It is clean, scalable, and price-competitive with fossil fuels in many markets. What is still missing is a clean way for individuals to own a piece of it.

<figure><img src="/files/IHsvN0TLAlX770jmmSml" alt=""><figcaption><p>SOURCE: <a href="https://ourworldindata.org/energy-production-consumption
">https://ourworldindata.org/energy-production-consumption<br></a></p></figcaption></figure>

#### The ownership barrier

If you wanted to own a piece of a real, producing solar farm today, your options would be limited to three. None of them work well for the average person.

{% tabs %}
{% tab title="Public stocks" %}
You could buy shares in a publicly traded renewable energy company. This gives you broad exposure to a portfolio of assets, but no direct connection to a specific panel or farm. You own a fraction of a corporation, not a piece of producing infrastructure. Any proceeds depend on the company's overall financial results rather than on the actual electricity generated by any specific asset.
{% endtab %}

{% tab title="Private investment funds" %}
You could invest in a private renewable energy fund. This usually means a large minimum ticket (often in the hundreds of thousands), long lockup periods, and a heavy paperwork load. These funds are designed for institutions and accredited buyers. They are not built for individual participation.
{% endtab %}

{% tab title="Rooftop solar" %}
You could install your own solar system on your roof. This only works if you own a suitable property, have the right roof orientation, can secure the necessary permits, and can afford the upfront installation cost. For renters, apartment dwellers, and most of the global population, this is simply not a real option.
{% endtab %}
{% endtabs %}

For everyone else, direct ownership of a producing solar asset has been close to impossible.

#### The market is ready, the access is not

The renewable energy market has matured. Solar farms are being built and operated at industrial scale around the world. Major institutional capital flows into the sector every year.

What is still missing is a clean, lawful, well-regulated way for a regular person to own a piece of one of those producing assets without needing to be an accredited buyer or a property owner with a suitable roof.

{% hint style="warning" %}
The result of this gap is that solar funding stays concentrated in the hands of large institutional players. Smaller participants miss out on a category that has real environmental impact and real economic activity behind it.
{% endhint %}

### The local consequence

Beyond the ownership barrier, there is a local one. Communities that live near solar farms watch the infrastructure go up, watch the panels produce electricity, and watch the proceeds leave their region. The people who live closest to the asset have no clear way to own a piece of it themselves.

A model that lets individuals participate directly in the assets being built around them would change that picture.

**The SolarWise Own The Sun AG was built specifically to close this gap.**