Can Electricity Storage Bail Out Renewable Energy?
Decarbonization of electricity generation can make the fastest progress, because installation costs per unit of solar or wind capacity can now compete with the least expensive fossil-fueled choices, and some countries have already transformed their generation to a considerable degree. Among large economies, Germany is the most notable example: sinc
... See moreVaclav Smil • How the World Really Works: The Science Behind How We Got Here and Where We're Going
Even though the supply of new renewables (wind, solar, new biofuels) rose impressively, about 50-fold, during the first 20 years of the 21st century, the world’s dependence on fossil carbon declined only marginally, from 87 percent to 85 percent of the total supply, and most of that small relative decline was attributable to expanded hydroelectrici
... See moreVaclav Smil • How the World Really Works: The Science Behind How We Got Here and Where We're Going
When electricity is cheap (for example, when a stiff wind is turning your turbines really fast), you pump water up a hill into a reservoir; then, when demand for power goes up, you let the water flow back down the hill,…
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Bill Gates • How to Avoid a Climate Disaster: The Solutions We Have and the Breakthroughs We Need
I believe strongly that it would be a huge mistake to shut down a fundamental innovation that has the potential to decentralize power because we are temporarily concerned about its electricity consumption. Instead, we need to eliminate fossil fuel subsidies, pass a carbon tax, and decarbonize our grid aggressively (as an aside, I believe that will ... See more