Much LESS battery storage is needed to go 100% solar & wind than thought
Prior to these meticulous ReThinkX solar-wind-storage calculations, for every country on earth, previous estimates had indicated that fluctuations in weather would make going 100% solar and wind unworkable.
It had been thought that the stationary storage batteries to store the required amount of electricity to cover night time and cloudy and windless days, would have been prohibitive, despite lithium battery costs coming down hugely.
It’s not that we must go only solar-wind-storage to solve climate change — there are possible additional green technologies — it’s just a great default plan.
But, as per this Tony Seba (ReThinkX) analysis of dozens of climates, the solar-wind-storage plan turns out to just, affordably . . work. And implies abundant and even excess green energy enabling all sort of beneficial ‘luxury’ utilizations additionally.
This has been known in a section of the sustainability community for perhaps 5–10 years but it’s becoming publicized significantly right now, because Seba is finally getting recognised because his predictions have been solidly proven.
And the time seems right too: photovoltaics have again halved in cost.
