Humanity has unfortunately pressed hard on climate change. And the situation is only getting worse, as the rate of climate change has doubled since the 1970s. While it is not yet too late to change course, renewable energy projects are not without opposition. Wind and solar energy have advanced so much that they are profitable on a large scale. In the past, it was thought that achieving budgetary efficiency was enough to restart the process of building new facilities, but this has not happened, partly for value reasons and partly because of outdated myths.
There are countless innovations that make solar panels even more reliable than they already are. Yet browse a few online forums and you’ll see that many people still believe that solar power simply isn’t enough to provide electricity during nighttime and periods without sunlight. In other words, the myth that a solar power plant requires 100% fossil fuel backup power, while true in the past, is largely outdated by today’s standards.
This isn’t just a group of tree advocates praising people. The Department of Energy has clearly confirmed that, combined with other renewable sources, the use of sodium-ion batteries and the storage of excess energy makes solar energy perfectly reliable, all without the need for fossil backup energy. According to the agency’s studies, California is a perfect example. In addition to reducing its dependence on natural gas from 60% to 36%, by 2025, solar energy represented 27% of its national electricity production.
Can renewable energies power cities reliably?
But is it theoretical? After all, 27% doesn’t cover the entire state, so how can we know if moving away from fossil fuels will be feasible? Well, believe it or not, you don’t have to look far before the myth that solar power isn’t efficient is decimated. Just 6,000 kilometers from the mainland (American Samoa, to be precise) lies a small island called Ta’u, where a solar-powered microgrid produces all the electricity nearly 900 residents need. With 1.4 MW at its disposal, the microgrid also relies on 60 Tesla-made power packs for six megawatt hours of backup power.
It’s just a small island, which makes the Masdar City community in Abu Dhabi an even better real-world case study. With 4,000 residents (expected to grow to 50,000), just one of its buildings, Masdar City’s Eco Villa, uses 87 rooftop solar panels to produce 40,000 kWh of electricity in a year, with the excess redirected to the local power grid. Granted, Masdar City still draws a small amount from the national grid, but in total its 11 MW of solar power alone has reduced annual carbon emissions by 16,000 tonnes.
Overall, the myth that solar power is mediocre is effectively erased, both in theory and in practice. Yet it may be years before the powers that be (excuse the pun) recognize the urgency of the issue and finally embark on renewable energy projects. Until then, solar panels will only get better. Even now, solar energy is not as efficient as it could be because it is bogged down by fossil fuels and air pollution. Therefore, incremental change would kill two birds with one stone, so to speak.
