Abstract Energy plays a very important role in society. It has been one of the main drivers in the organization of civilization and, before that, in evolution. The availability of relatively inexpensive energy could solve many other problems, for example supplying fresh water through desalination. An economy based on solar energy has been the dream of many for many years. It would be great to only depend on the freely distributed energy of the sun, which is available everywhere. While solar energy might include a wide range of potential energy sources, the solar energy considered here is restricted to solar concentrators, solar photovoltaics, and artificial solar chemical processes. After these are considered, both the related uncertainties and the possible range of climate variability are explored. Characteristics of the various technologies, uncertainties, and potential climate effects are also identified. An analysis explores the solar energy technologies, uncertainties, and vulnerabilities related to climate. Finally, an integrated analysis method of real options analysis provides a potential semiquantitative framework for discussion and interpretation.