Renewables Will Replace Fossil Fuels for All of Our Energy Needs
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Critics say we can never get enough electric energy from renewable sources. It is just not true. In a report this week, three researchers at the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory said:
“Our team… found that a staggering 1,400 gigawatts of proposed (renewable) generation and storage projects have applied to connect to the grid — more than all existing U.S. power plants combined.”
Current generation from all sources in the US is 1,140 gigawatts, including the 20% of total generation that is already from renewables. In other words, the current renewable generation is 228 gigawatts and 1,400 gigawatts of renewables are proposed to go onto the grid over the next several years, for a total of 1,628 gigawatts — or almost 43% more than the total generation today. That is, renewable generation will stand at 143% of current power plant production. Soon, there will be no need to burn any fossil fuels for electricity generation at all. As we will see, electric generation can then move forward to replace fossil fuel usage altogether.
Batteries and Storage
The researchers also note that more and more of these projects are including batteries:
“The majority (of the new projects) are now solar projects, and over a third of those projects involve hybrid solar plus battery storage.”
Batteries are the critical missing piece. The batteries used today come in shipping containers. Trucks simply drop the container-battery off and electricians hook them up. Many people are concerned about the environmental impact of batteries, and they are correct. But we need batteries to make the transition, and new technologies are constantly under development.
One such technology being tested is the Graphene aluminum ion battery. Another technology is the cobalt-free iron-phosphate (LFP) battery, which Tesla just revealed is powering half of its vehicles. These or other technologies will prove most applicable to large, grid-tied projects, and the technology will change and improve over time.
With these developments and this research, there is no longer any reason to doubt the ability of the US to convert our current electric generation to renewables — i.e., wind and solar. Just by building the projects recently applied for grid hook-up, we can far surpass the need.
Renewable Electricity Can Meet All of Our Energy Needs
The following diagram from the US Energy Information Administration (EIA) illustrates the potential in approximate numbers. The current generation of 1,140 gigawatts mentioned earlier translates to the 35.7 quadrillion Btu shown in the diagram in the electric sector. The new capacity for renewable electricity is 1,628 gigawatts assuming all projects that applied for grid connection come online. Using the same factor, that translates to 51 quadrillion Btu. US total energy production is 92.9 quadrillion Btu, so, potentially, almost 55% of our total energy use could be covered just with the projects already in the pipeline. Double that pipeline of projects, and we could potentially replace all energy from all sources with renewably generated electricity.
What Consumers Can Do
Ultimately, the only way to solve climate change is to replace all fossil fuels with renewable sources, including their battery storage capabilities. As consumers, that means we can facilitate this move by electrifying our lives — electrifying your appliances, heat, car, and toys (boats, planes, ATVs, etc.) make a difference. Everything you can do to go electric is a step forward.
For more of my articles on climate, solar, and the postcapitalist future, click here.
You can find my newsletter Intertwine: Living Better in a Worsening World here.
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This post was previously published on Climate Conscious.
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