We must do more to harness energy from the sun and wind

We need big breakthroughs in technologies that will allow us to supply the power grid with clean energy even during windless days, cloudy weather, and nighttime.

By Bill Gates (Top Post)

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Published: Sun 19 May 2019, 9:24 PM

Last updated: Sun 19 May 2019, 11:37 PM

Wind and solar power generation is expanding around the globe at record rates allowing more people to get their electricity from clean, renewable sources than ever before. This is great news.
And here's better news: We can do even more. By investing in energy innovations, we can build on the progress we've made deploying current technology like renewables, which will help accelerate the transition from fossil fuels to a future of reliable and affordable carbon-free electricity. This would be an incredible achievement and the most important step we can take to prevent the worst impacts of global warming. Here's why: While electricity generation is the single biggest contributor to climate change - responsible for 25 per cent of all greenhouse gas emissions and growing every day - it's an even bigger part of the solution. With clean electricity, we can do more than light our homes and power our grid. We can unlock a source of carbon-free energy to help power the sectors of the economy that produce the other 75 per cent of greenhouse gas emissions, including transportation, buildings, and manufacturing. Think electric cars and buses; emission-free heating and cooling systems in our homes and businesses; and energy-intensive factories using more clean power to make products.
So, what will it take to reach the goal of zero carbon electricity generation?
We must solve two challenges. The first challenge will come as no surprise. We need to do more to harness the power of the sun and wind. And thanks to falling prices for solar panels, wind turbines, and other technologies, deploying renewable energy systems is more affordable than ever before.
The second challenge is probably less obvious and more difficult. We need big breakthroughs in technologies that will allow us to supply the power grid with clean energy even during windless days, cloudy weather, and nighttime.
Usually, you back up renewable sources with fossil fuels like natural gas that can quickly and reliably provide power when it's needed. To reach zero carbon emissions, however, we need to find a way to use more clean energy sources as a backstop.
While I wish there could be a single, magic bullet solution to this problem, there isn't one right now. What will be required in the years ahead is a diverse and flexible mix of energy solutions to support a future of renewable energy generation to meet our needs. Some of these solutions already exist. Others will require more innovation.
Here are three key solutions for the transition to clean electricity:
> Improved energy storage systems: The sun and the wind are incredible energy sources. Finding ways to store that energy to use after the sun sets and the wind stops blowing is a big challenge. We do have ways to store energy for a matter of hours - like lithium ion batteries.
What we don't have are reliable and widely useable ways to store renewable energy sources for days, weeks, or months. We need to be prepared for seasonal changes (when we have short days during the winter) or worse case scenarios when there are long periods of cloud cover or no wind for weeks or months.
> Carbon capture and storage and nuclear: I often hear that lower cost solar and wind power along with the emerging breakthroughs in energy storage mean that these sources will be enough to get us to a carbon-free power grid. But because the world must balance the need to eliminate carbon emissions with economic growth, we should also consider what solutions would be most affordable. Nuclear power is already a source of carbon-free electricity, producing about 10 per cent of the world's power. It would also serve as a very reliable source of clean energy to complement renewables. But high costs and safety concerns have slowed the growth of nuclear power. With innovations in nuclear power we can create a new generation of nuclear energy that would be safer, produce less waste, and be lower cost.
There are several nuclear technologies that should be explored. Carbon capture, utilisation, and storage, which separates and permanently stores CO2 pollution from an energy plant's exhaust to keep it out of the atmosphere are other methods. This technology is especially important in places where there isn't good renewable energy potential, or where it would be too costly to retire and replace existing power plants.
>High-voltage, long-distance transmission lines: Renewable power resources like wind and solar are often located far from the cities or industrial areas where energy demand is the greatest. Connecting our renewable energy supply with demand will require us to build transmission lines that can handle large amounts of power over very long distances. High-voltage direct current (HVDC) transmission technology would help us integrate renewable energy into our world's power supply.
It's easy to be overwhelmed by climate change and what to do about it. Global greenhouse gas emissions, for example, went up again last year -another reminder that we must act quickly if we want to prevent the worst-case scenarios of our warming planet.
Still, as I learn about all the new ideas to address this challenge, I am optimistic that with the right mix of solutions we can deploy right now and new innovations we can build a path to a carbon-free future.
The article originally appeared on gatesnotes.com


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