106 Time September 23, 2019In the 1970s, the U.S. Department of Energy poured
money into making practical a miraculous technology: the
ability to convert sunlight into electricity. Solar energy
was a pipe dream, far too expensive and unreliable to
be considered a practical power source. But yesterday’s
moon shot is today’s reality. The expense of solar power
has fallen more quickly than expected, with installations
costing about 80% less today than a decade ago.
Alternative energy (like wind and solar) is now often
cheaper than conventional energy (like coal and gas). Last
year, California generated 19% of its electricity from solar
power, up from less than 1% just 10 years earlier. That
growth is global. Solar-energy production worldwide has
increased nearly 2,000% since 2009, but the U.S. is far
from the leader. Of approximately 100 gigawatts of solar
generation added in 2018, China accounted for 44 and the
U.S. 11.
Eliminating the carbon emitted in the production
of electricity is a crucial step toward keeping the world
from heating to dire levels. It is also among the most
straightforward, largely thanks to the innovations of the
past few decades, which were driven by a combination
of ingenuity, research funding and policy incentives.
Innovation is not enough to avert the worst consequences
of climate change, but there are solutions at hand that are
commonplace and cost-effective. We desperately need
more. Here’s a look at the things engineers have checked
off their list, and the sticky problems left to solve.today’s Renewables: solaR and wInd
The decline in the cost of solar and wind power over the
past decade has transformed the energy industry. Wind
capacity in the U.S. has doubled over the past 10 years
and is expected to double again by 2030. Solar power is
growing even faster, with total installed capacity expected
to double by 2024. Together, the two technologies have
helped renewables leap from 9% of the U.S.’s electricity
generation in 2008 to about 17% in 2018. Ongoing
research and development is leading to continuous
gains in how much power they produce. Wind operators
are using artificial intelligence and improved weather
forecasts to position their turbines for better performance,
while solar-panel manufacturers are refining the use of
new materials and processes to generate more electricity
from smaller panels and drive down costs.Can we innovate
our way out of
this mess?