Clean Power and Storage Wars
powering-the-planet.ghost.io
When people find out what I do for work, it’s not unusual for them to ask, “Are we doomed?” My usual response is, “We would be, if not for the amazing developments in renewable energy.” We know the people willing to destroy the planet for personal gain are still

I wasn’t aware just how good the news is on the green energy front until reading this. We still have a tough road in the short/medium term, but we are more or less irreversibly headed in the right direction.

  • Mihies@programming.devEnglish
    01·
    5 months ago

    Storage is nowhere near enough if we want self sustainable green energy. And author should compare winter moths when it comes to solar panels production - worst case. Yes, there is development and each day a breaking new battery tech is announced but until these get produced for real in mass quantities, they are vaporware. Mind that we need storage for like at least a week, better a month of energy worth. And that’s a lot of batteries.

    • GamingChairModel@lemmy.worldEnglish
      1·
      5 months ago

      until these get produced for real in mass quantities, they are vaporware

      The world is already seeing exponential growth in annual completion of grid scale battery storage. Here’s some recent data in the US, as products and projects mature from theoretical to small scale prototypes to full scale pilot projects to full production.

      And author should compare winter moths

      There’s also significant developments being made in geothermal, which is actually dispatchable. Plus we actually still produce more grid-connected wind than solar right now, it’s just that solar is so damn cheap it makes sense to install capacity well beyond matching peak demand.

      Some combination of overcapacity, demand-shifting, and storage will go a long way in reducing the amount of dispatchable fossil fuel capacity that is necessary.

    • LesserAbe@lemmy.worldOPEnglish
      0·
      5 months ago

      Yes, we need more storage and generation. The author didn’t say we’re all good and nothing more needs to be done. What’s noteworthy is that renewable energy is cheaper than CO2 emitting, and battery storage is cheaper than peaker plants. (And grid battery can come from things like salt, sand, brick along with better known components like hydro storage, doesn’t have to be rare earth elements)

      It’s ok to acknowledge when good things happen while also recognizing bad things.