Why Do We Not Use More Renewable Energy?

Adventures in Sustainable Living Podcast
 
Episode 120
 
Why Do We Not Use More Renewable Energy?
 
 
 
The cost of solar energy has declined by more than 80% over the last 15 years. This is the very reason that my entire homestead has operated solely on solar energy for the last 6 years. Based on what my friends pay for electricity on a monthly basis, my solar electric system paid for itself in about 2 1/2 years. 
 
The amount of solar energy that hits the planet Earth in one day is enough the replace all the coal, natural gas, and oil that the entire planet uses in one year. Obviously we have the ability to power the entire world off of renewables but why is that not being done?  And that is the focus of this episode. Why do we not use more renewable energy?
 
Welcome back everyone to the Adventures in Sustainable Living Podcast. This is your host Patrick and this is E120 which is called Why Do We Not Use More Renewable Energy? 
 
What I want to focus on in this episode is the challenges and barriers to widespread implementation of renewable energy. Despite the fact that it is possible to run the entire planet on renewables, why are we not doing it. And at the end of this episode I am going to tell you exactly what you can do about that. 
 
Now you may find it hard to believe that I lived almost entirely without electricity for almost 20 years. When I first purchased my homestead property in 1996, there was very little development in the community where I lived. Even today, the property is still quite isolated. When I first looked at this property I knew immediately it was exactly what I have been wanting for many years. I went way out on a financial limb to buy the place because I was only one year out of school.  The local utility company wanted to charge me $30K to run electricity up to the property. That was far beyond what I could afford at the time. Besides, my first priority was to build a cabin so that I had a place to live. 
 
Initially I had basic lighting using kerosine lanterns. Shortly thereafter I installed propane and gas lights. I then built an underground cellar which was a reliable means of refrigeration without electricity. It also provided bear proof food storage. I had a propane cook stove and a gravity fed shower system. Eventually I purchased a few inexpensive solar panels to charge a small battery bank. I used those batteries to power some lights so at least I was not using the propane lights anymore. 
 
Knowing that the price of solar was declining rapidly, I decided to install a full solar array. One of my biggest challenges was the fact that I knew nothing about electricity. Quotes that I received simply for solar installation was $15K and that did not include the equipment. But I tend to have a rather determined nature so I starting looking for information online so I could do it myself. I ended up going to Georgia to take a rather extensive class in solar design and installation. Upon my return, I worked directly with a solar company, purchased all needed equipment and did the installation myself. Total investment including the cost of the class was about $12K USD. 
 
Needless to say, my entire lifestyle changed because I now had electricity. I now actually had a regular refrigerator and freezer and full lighting throughout both cabins. I reduced my dependence on propane by more than 80%. I now had a stand alone completely independent, off-grid source of electricity. 
 
At this point whenever I heard people complaining about their loss of electricity because of the latest storm, it just made me laugh. But at the same time I would often wonder why is it that more people did not take advantage of renewable energy and do exactly what I was doing. After all, it is entirely possible to run your home off of renewable energy. 
 
In fact, between solar, wind, and hydroelectric, the United States has enough natural resources to produce 6 times more electricity than is needed to run the entire country. A solar array taking up 21,000 square miles would produce enough electricity to power the entire United States. While that may sound like a lot of land it is actually less than 1/2 of one percent of the available land in the United States. And this could be accomplished with the technology that is available today. It is not going to require some miraculous break through. So why is it that we do not use more renewable energy? This type of energy technology is becoming better, cheaper, and easier to access every year. Yet renewable energy sources only supply about 20% of our global energy consumption. 
 
Well the master electrician that taught my solar electric class told me that grid tied solar electricity systems were easy. These are systems that produce electricity during the day and rely on grid power at night. However, stand alone off grid systems were much more difficult to set up and maintain. This means you have to produce and store a certain amount of electricity during the day and rely on that stored energy at night or on cloudy days when there is no sun. And that is the first challenge of running an entire country off of renewable energy. The challenge of energy storage.
 
 
 
 
Energy Storage 
 
One of the true advantages to the use of fossil fuels is that it produces a reliable constant source of electricity. It is truly on-demand electricity whenever you need it. However, one of the major challenges with renewable energy sources is that the supply of energy produced is far more variable. Fluctuations in sunlight levels and wind means energy production is less consistent compared to energy produced from a fossil fuel plant. 
What this means is that when energy production is at its greatest, the excessive energy produced must be stored in batteries. And how do you store enough energy in batteries to run an entire city? What is needed is appropriate energy storage that can release electricity in a consistent and controlled manner as is done with fossil fuels. 
 
What we do know is that advancements in technology have brought battery prices down significantly and have improved storage capability. However, the challenges of sustainability still remain. The precious metals and rare earth minerals that are required for batteries certainly have environmental costs especially related to mining. 
 
One of the thoughts that I had in order to solve the energy storage problem is for each household and business to have an on-site battery bank. This would solve the challenges of having a central massive energy storage unit.  However, this still does not solve the sustainability issues.  
 
There is also the lingering question of utility-scale batteries, the cost, the reliability, and the lifespan of those batteries. 
 
 
Electricity Production is Variable 
 
The next biggest challenge is that because renewable energy systems rely on natural resources such as sunlight, wind, and water, the energy produced can be as unreliable as the weather. Solar panels do not produce as much energy on cloudy days. Wind turbines do not produce electricity on calm days. Hydroelectric systems need consistent snow and rainfall to maximize the water flow needed for energy generation. 
 
Additionally, when energy production is at a maximum, utility scale energy systems would produce far more energy than what is needed. This creates the risk of overloading the electric transmission systems. 
 
Also, the efficiency of a renewable energy system depends on the location. If you live in an area where there are consistently more cloudy days then more solar panels would be required to generate the same amount of energy. If the solar array is located in an area with consistent annual snowfall, the solar panels with be consistently covered with snow and would produce very little if any energy.  Whenever it snows at the cabin, one of the first things I do in the morning is clean off the solar panels which takes about 5 minutes. Obviously this can be problematic when it involves a utility-scale solar array. 
 
However, one of the advantages to a coal fired plant is that there is a consistent flow of energy that can be ramped up and down as needed. In order to produce that same sort of reliability with renewables it would require numerous expensive infrastructure upgrades. And that brings us to the next challenge which is infrastructure. 
 
Infrastructure
 
Having spent a considerable amount of time out of my home country, I have been to some place where there is a gross lack of any sort of infrastructure. Depending on where I am going, that is the reason I have some sort of evacuation insurance especially if I am scuba diving.  
 
If you are a seasoned traveler, you more or less expect there to be some lack of infrastructure especially in developing countries. However, if you live in a developed country, I think most of us expect there to be upgraded, reasonable quality infrastructure. Interestingly enough, this is simply just not the case. 
 
In order for the use of renewables to be successful, there must be widespread use of this resource in order to meet our energy needs. There must also be upgraded and reliable infrastructure and this is just not the case. This problem alone will in many ways be a primary deterrent to the widespread use of renewables. It is shocking even to me to learn that our energy infrastructure is dramatically underfunded, poorly maintained, and completely unstable to meet even our present energy needs. 
 
In fact, there are worldwide deficiencies at all levels of infrastructure with electricity and roads making up about 75% of that.  Just recently, US infrastructure was rated a D+ overall. In Italy, there are almost 300 bridges that are in danger of collapse. Power plants all over Europe are aging and becoming more unreliable. Blacks have more than doubled over the last 6 years especially in the US. 
 
It is quite obvious that in order to implement widespread use of renewables this vast gap in infrastructure investment will have to be corrected. But on the more practical side of things, that introduces numerous political issues which of course makes things far more complicated and challenging. 
 
High Capital Cost
 
One of the next challenges to using renewable energy is the high up front cost. Most people find it easier to simply pay a utility company a monthly fee rather than pay the up front cost of a solar installation. In the long run it does cost less if you pay cash. However, total cost of home solar installation tends to range between $10 and $20K USD depending on the size of the solar array.  But this is typically a grid tie system which means you generate electricity during the day and then use grid power at night. 
 
That said, there are plenty of ways to finance a solar electric system. But if you do so it takes longer to break even.  When I first purchase my solar electric system, I was told I would get a significant discount if I paid cash. It took me about 6 months or so to raise that kind of money. 
 
On a larger scale, for example utility scale renewable energy systems such as solar farms, wind farms, and hydroelectric stations, require significant investment in land and electrical infrastructure. For example, the average wind turbine produces 2 to 3 megawatts with an average cost of $2 to 4 million per turbine. Obviously such a major shift in how we produce our energy results in a huge financial investment. The overall lack of financial backing from big business and governments who are unwilling to change, or simply to introduce incentives, often slows the much needed progress. 
 
 
 
Land Use 
 
The next barrier to our renewable energy transition is the conflict over land use. The challenge is how are we going to balance our need for energy production with the need for land used for housing and food production in a world where natural resources are increasingly strained? 
 
Wind and solar farms both require the use of large amounts of land. Land use requires negotiations, contracts, permits, and good community relationships, all of which can delay or even prevent renewable projects from going forward. And that leads into the next issue of siting and transmission.  
 
Siting and Transmission
 
Siting has to do with land use, meaning the location of the power plant. Transmission has to do with the power lines and infrastructure that carries the electricity from the point of production to the point of consumption. 
 
Nuclear, coal and natural gas plants tend to be highly centralized. This type of energy production relies on a few high-output energy plants. Wind and solar power generation on the other hand are decentralized. This means that smaller power plants spread across a large area work together to provide sufficient power. This of course requires more land use and infrastructure. 
 
Most of the infrastructure we have today was built to serve the generation of energy through the use of fossil fuels with centralized infrastructure. In some parts of the country where we have the best potential for renewable energy generation, such as the dessert southwest and the Great Plains region, have fewer power plant and in order to take advantage of the energy potential it would require new infrastructure. This of course requires money, financing, siting, permits and negotiations all of which can be significant barriers to developers and customers even if they are eager to take advantage of renewable energy.  
 
 
 
Political Challenges
 
And then of course there are the political challenges that come along with the transition to renewable energy. For example, despite large volumes of scientific information available on the reality of climate change and the need for immediate action, there are still significant political forces that deny its existence. Consequently, there is consider political power that pushes back against the need for our transition to renewables. Not to mention the resistance from big oil companies that focus solely on their self interest and are bent on protecting their profits even in the face of our ultimate demise. 
 
A collaborate approach from both public and private sectors is what is needed in order to scale up the use of renewables. Public willingness to accept and financially support this energy transition for industry and utilities is absolutely crucial. 
 
Still Causes Pollution
 
And one other thing to keep in mind is that the development renewable energy still causes pollution indirectly. The gathering of raw materials needed for the manufacturing of wind turbines and solar panels still has an environmental impact. The parts required to construct this type of equipment often have to be shipped across the country. Consequently, transportation of all this equipment causes a certain amount of pollution. 
 
However, in the end renewables certainly cause much less of an environmental impact compared to the use of fossil fuels. The other thing to think about is the so-called payback period of renewables. This is the time required to generate the same amount of energy that was used in the manufacturing process. For solar panels that is 1 to 3 years. For wind turbines that is about 6 months. 
 
 
 
 
 
Summary
 
Obviously we have some challenges ahead of us if we are going to fully realize and implement the transition to renewables. The largest initial challenges is energy storage and the fact that renewables produce a variable amount of electricity. Then we have to deal with the initial high capital costs not to mention the infrastructure required to fully take advantage of this natural resource. And of course there are going to be tremendous political challenges. And as always we have to be aware that every thing we do has some sort of impact and that includes the implementation of renewable energy. 
 
With such challenges ahead of us, it may be difficult to envision a future of renewable, clean energy. However, it is possible. Countries such as Iceland, Paraguay, and Norway have already made this transition. Germany is well on their way to a renewable energy future thanks to over 40 years of sustainable policy making. 
 
Despite the challenges we face, we need to focus on the benefits of this transition. This includes a supply of energy that never runs out, a dramatic reduction in carbon emissions, a less expensive form of electricity, cleaner air and water, and the creation of thousands of new jobs which will provide a huge boost to the economy. 
 
Presently renewable energy only provides about 8% of the energy needs in the US and only 14% of total global energy needs. But, the entire planet can be run off of renewables and this is not going to require some amazing break through in technology. We have the ability to do it now despite the challenges that we face. 
 
But because of the barriers to this transition, it will take industry and government decades to turn this into a reality. But the good news is that people such as you and I do not have to wait. It is possible for every one of us to make that transition to clean renewable energy. The added benefit is that if more people make that switch it drives up the demand for renewables which means it becomes cheaper and more accessible.
 
It is only through the concerted effort of politicians, businesses, communities and individuals will this transition became a reality. On a personal note, I have been running my entire homestead off of solar energy since 2016 so I know from personal experience that it is possible. 
 
What most people do not realize is that each one of us is in some way responsible for the continued use of fossil fuels. It is estimated that the United States spends $37.5 billion per year on subsides for the fossil fuel industry. This is through a combination of direct payments, tax breaks, various other incentives and loopholes. Consequently, US taxpayers are funding the oil industries research and development, mining, drilling and energy generation. Essentially what this does is divert funding away from other much more productive research projects and constrains the growth of the renewable energy because it receives much less preferential political treatment. 
 
But you don’t see multi-billion dollar industries thrive without also seeing strong political influence. The fossil fuel industry is no exception. For decades this industry has used their political influence to spread false and misleading information about climate change, which of course is a huge motivation to move toward low-carbon energy sources such as wind and solar. 
 
Leaders and scientists in the fossils fuel industry knew as early as the 1970s that the continued use of their product would lead to global warming. They continued to fund their disinformation campaigns in order to produce doubts about the reality of climate change and the use of renewable energy. And guess what? It worked and we are now paying for it.  
 
But the best part of this is that we all have a choice. As I have said many times, as long as someone else is in control of your resources someone else is in control of your life. You do not have to depend on someone else for your basic needs. Part of living sustainable is being responsible for everything that you choose to do and everything you choose not to do. So what not take the first step toward producing a basic sense of personal security and make the switch to renewable energy. If we sit and wait for big business and big government to make a decision based on their never ending board meeting, this transition will take decades. But the good news is that you can do it now. That is what I did 6 years ago. 
 
Now I want to close this episode by giving you something to think about over the next week. I truly believe that now is the time to make the transition to a life that is far more sustainable. Otherwise we are going to have a pretty grim future. 
 
But despite the challenges, you have to begin with the end in mind. To begin with the end in mind means to start with a clear understanding of your destination. It means you know where you are going so that you have a clearer understanding of where you are now so that the steps you take are always in the right direction. When you think of it this way, you realize that what you do now will affect your quality of life 5 years fro now. When you know what is deeply important to you and keep that picture in mind, you manage yourself each day to be and do what really matters most. This is what will hasten the accomplishment of a safe, secure, sustainable lifestyle. 
 
Well folks that is about it for this week. I hope you have enjoyed this episode of the Adventures in Sustainable Living podcast. And please join me again next week for another episode that focusing on our transition to a green economy. Until then, this is your host Patrick signing off. Always remember to live sustainably because this is how we build a better future. 
 
Resources
 
Why Don’t We Use More Renewable Energy 
 
Why Can’t We Run on 100% Renewable Energy?
 
Barriers to Renewable Energy Technologies
 
Patrick