In just 20 days of sunshine, the earth receives more energy from the sun than it holds in all of our oil, coal, and natural gas reserves combined. Plus, rapid improvements in technology mean we can harness this potential energy a lot easier and more cheaply than ever before –and it’s changing the renewable energy landscape fast.

How fast? Over the past 30 years, use of solar power has doubled every two years, and, according to the futurist Ray Kurzweil, is on track to meet 100 percent of the planet’s energy needs in less than 14 years if this trend continues.

You don’t have to look far to see this trend in action. Every four minutes, another US home or business installs solar power. In South Australia, almost 23 percent of homes use photovoltaic solar systems. And with solar reaching grid parity – where it costs the same or less as electricity from fossil fuels – in more and more regions and nations, the list of these proof points is growing.

It’s the kind of story you can’t help wanting to share with the world, and so we did in the second hour of 24 Hours of Reality: 24 Reasons for Hope.

Vice President Gore charts the exponential growth of rooftop solar and what it means.

Mark Ruffalo returns for a town-hall-style talk with Ashlan Gorse Cousteau on the changing technologies driving the growth of solar and other renewables.

Filmmaker and activist Vanessa Black takes a long, hard look at the opposite end of the energy spectrum with a visit to America’s dirtiest power plant and top carbon polluter in YOUTHFUEL.

See all 24 reasons for hope by clicking here.