Research Shows 80% New Energy Is Within Reach

Solar and Wind Could Meet 80% of US Energy Needs, Study Finds; A new energy study determines that up to 80% of U.S. electricity needs could be met with solar and wind energy, if significant investment is made in new transmission lines and large scale battery storage.

Kevin Clemens, March 27, 2018 (Design News)

“…[Based on an analysis of U.S. weather data from 36 years, spanning 1980 to 2015, about] 80% of the U.S. electricity demand could be reliably met with solar and wind power…[if they are supported by either] a continental-scale transmission network or facilities that could store 12 hours’ worth of the nation’s electricity demand…[The] cost of new transmission lines required could be hundreds of billions of dollars, while storing electricity with the cost of today’s batteries would likely cost more than a trillion dollars [according to Geophysical constraints on the reliability of solar and wind power in the United States]…As expensive as this sounds, there are some indications that prices are continuing to drop for both solar and wind…” click here for more

click to enlarge

Tweet