100% Renewable Energy: Fact Or Fantasy?
Sign up for daily news updates from CleanTechnica on email. Or follow us on Google News!
Originally published on ilsr.org.
What would it take to power the entire US economy on renewable resources alone?
Three big things:
- Only build wind, solar, or hydro power plants after 2020
- Reduce energy use compared to business as usual by 40%
- Electrify everything
It’s the last that may be the most complicated, since it means a complete overhaul of the way we do everything from heating homes to moving people. Mark Jacobson, author of a seminal study on the transformation, doesn’t mince words about its complexity:
The recommendations — indeed, all 28 — would require coordinated action from Congress, federal agencies, state legislatures, and local officials. Together, they represent an unprecedented level of government activism, a skein of incentives, mandates, standards, and laws unmatched in U.S. history.
This timeline illustrates the challenge of electrification:
Want the whole story in short? I gave this summary presentation of the challenge to a group of clean energy allies in late August 2015 (100% renewable in 15 slides):
Hat tip to David Roberts for making this data accessible, and to Mark Jacobson at Stanford for the deep dive into how it can happen. I’m just here for the visual flair.
Related:
70%, 80%, 99.9%, 100% Renewables — Study Central
Renewable Energy Is Possible, Practical, & Cheaper (Than Nuclear Or Fossil Fuels)
The Solutions Project: How 139 Countries Can Hit 100% Renewable Energy
Getting To 100% Renewable Energy In the US
State-By-State Plan To Bring US To 100% Renewables By 2050 Unveiled By Researchers
100% Renewable Energy — How To Get There (Mark Z Jacobson Video)
Powering The World With Wind, Water, & Sunshine (Mark Z Jacobson Video)
Photo Credit: author unknown
For timely updates, follow John Farrell on Twitter or get the Democratic Energy weekly update.
Chip in a few dollars a month to help support independent cleantech coverage that helps to accelerate the cleantech revolution!
Have a tip for CleanTechnica? Want to advertise? Want to suggest a guest for our CleanTech Talk podcast? Contact us here.
Sign up for our daily newsletter for 15 new cleantech stories a day. Or sign up for our weekly one if daily is too frequent.
CleanTechnica uses affiliate links. See our policy here.
CleanTechnica's Comment Policy
