An Argument on Wind and Solar Power

Emissions of carbon dioxide from burning fossil fuels is highly contributing to the increase of average global temperatures. It has become a significant problem for humanity during this century, which can curb with switching to zero-carbon energy technologies to generate electricity that would prevent from some of the harms stemming from additional warming.

Based on different arguments, many people concerned about climate change are looking to mandate the installation of solar and wind power as replacements for the coal and natural gas currently used to generate most of the world's electricity.

The question arises here is will this work? No, argues Michael Shellenberger, President of Environmental Progress, over at Forbes. On the other hand, he explains that the inherent variability of solar and wind will perversely "lock-in" fossil fuels making it harder and more expensive to "save the climate."

But why? Because power generators build and maintain a parallel set of fossil fuel plants to generate energy to make up for shortfalls in renewable energy when the wind fades and the sun goes down. Although, it's not the same thing to pay for and build two separate power generation systems, it's closer than many advocates for renewable energy would like to acknowledge.

There is one exception to this necessary fossil fuel lock-in: carbon-free nuclear power. Like conventional fossil fuel generators, nuclear power plants can step in when renewables goes dark, but without emitting the carbon dioxide that is contributing to man-made climate change. However, Shellenberger makes an obvious point i.e. nuclear power is zero-carbon and can supply all the electricity as needed, why build any wind and solar electric power generation at all?

Here comes the case of Germany. While pursuing its famous Energiewende (energy transformation) the country spent $222 billion deploying wind and solar power while simultaneously closing its nuclear power plants. The result is that its carbon dioxide emissions in recent years have been rising instead of falling.

But aren't nuclear power plants much more costly than renewable sources of electricity? While it is true that the costs for wind and solar generation have been plunging, some argue that consumers in Germany are now paying twice what they did for electricity in 2000.

On the other hand, China is building a number of new solar power plants at about one-third the cost as compare to Europe or the U.S. It all depends what mechanics you’re taking to deploy solar power generation projects.

Given the technological and fiscal realities, one can hope that the people concerned about climate change will retract from their argument on wind and solar power generation.