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A Carbon-Free Grid

March 3, 2018 - Scientists at the University Of California, Irvine; the California Institute of Technology; and the Carnegie Institution of Science recently published an article stating that the United States could meet 80 percent of its electricity needs with solar and wind power. To sweeten the deal, the price of solar and wind have been dropping rapidly. The remaining 20 percent could be provided by alternate sources of energy such as hydropower, geothermal, and biomass. These sources currently meet 8.5 percent of electrical demand, and can be expanded. The remaining deficit would be met by managing demand.

The larger grid required for transmission of solar and wind power would have to be continental in scale, or 12 hours' worth of the energy would have to be stored in new facilities. This degree of expansion would require hundreds of billions of dollars in investment. Storing the electricity with today's cheapest batteries would cost a trillion dollars, although the price is falling. In Colorado, renewable power plus battery storage is now cheaper than operating old coal plants. Can the United States afford a carbon-free grid by mid-century? Joe Romm, of Climate Progress, says "absolutely."

The team of scientists who published the article analyzed 36 years of hourly U.S. weather data (1980-2015) to arrive at their conclusions. Their goal was "to understand the fundamental geophysical barriers to supplying electricity with only solar and wind energy." Because 38 percent of U.S. carbon dioxide emissions are produced by fossil fuels burned for electricity, and are a major contributor to climate change, carbon-free energy is essential to the future of humankind.

Look how far we've come, with only the grudging, on-and-off help of our government. Will solar panels on the roofs of private homes become a thing of the past, to be replaced by acres and acres of panels, owned by utilities? My guess would be probably. I don't want to see the wind turbines of today disappear, though I know bird watchers have legitimate complaints where they are concerned. I've always thought they resembled beautiful, land-bound sailing ships. Will all the new lines be underground? Will the necessary storage facilities be a blight on the landscape? It's the way of the world, with the solutions to yesterday's problems frequently the cause of new problems!

With thanks to Climate Progress and UCI News.




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