Clean energy has long been at the forefront of economical and environmental discussions across the globe.

But in the wake of President Obama’s State of the Union address earlier this year — in which he pledged that 80 percent of the country’s electricity would come from clean energy by 2035 — alternative energy sources have become more relevant than ever.

Technology giant GE positioned itself as a potential leader in the field (solar energy, in particular) with an announcement earlier this month introducing its latest product: the most efficient thin film solar panel created to date. To mass produce these panels, GE plans to build a 400-megawatt manufacturing facility — larger than any existing solar plant in the country.

To help the public understand the magnitude of this accomplishment, GE tapped JESS3 to create a data visualization to serve as the backdrop and contextual center point for its announcement.

Rather than merely providing a snapshot of the energy landscape, JESS3 framed the solar story more comprehensively: citing its past, present and future.

To anchor the narrative, JESS3 reduced the message to its most core element: the sun. From there, we positioned nuggets of information arching out from a bright yellow orb to emulate sun rays.

The final product is packed with information but allows the eye to flow pleasantly across the plane (click to enlarge).