Is 100% renewable achievable?
There has been growing interest in green energy, which has become one of the primary energy generation sources. Most renewable energy sources depend on natural, uncontrolled recourses such as the sun, wind, hydropower, geothermal, and biomass. Renewable energy is the fastest-growing of all electricity sources. However, there are significant challenges to bringing more renewable energy online at scale. Let’s take a look at some of the major barriers that renewable energy services face.
Providing power on demand
The number one challenge that hinders renewable energy is the fact that it is not always there, or should we say “available.” When it’s sunny or windy, then you’d probably get the power you needed, but when it’s not, then you don’t. However, if a country has a reliable way to store energy, then that kind of intermittent generation wouldn’t be a problem. But most countries who are considered as third-world countries still don’t have the capacity.
According to the director of sustainability practices at Arizona State University, Michael Dalrymple, he said, “If we could store electricity, we could solve this thing (power demand).” Recently the process is currently developing, just like one of Arizona’s projects, the APS. It has one of the largest solar thermal systems globally, and the heat from the sun is stored in salt.
Resource location
Most renewable energy power plants require ample space to share and generate energy. But the challenge here is some of the renewable energy sources are not available for some regions. This means not all locations are reliable to build. Another factor is the space between the grids. The area is very significant, which affects the aspect of cost and efficiency.
In addition to this, some sources also depend on the weather, climate, and geographical location. This ultimately means that one type of energy generation is not appropriate for the region. More and more researches are still ongoing, and the government, energy providers, and policymakers are looking for ways to achieve 100% renewable energy targets at some point in the future.
Information Barrier
Still, many are not aware of renewable energy sources and their benefits. While this area is still improving, lack of information and awareness is the concern of many energy providers. Investment and capital allowances have been made available for the implementation of renewable energies. There is a clear need for government agencies to assist and advise applicants on applying for renewable energy incentives.
Cost Issues
The cost of installation and acquiring renewable energy services hurdles in the development. Although some renewables are low-cost, wind, and solar power plants also required high investment. Accordingly, their storage systems also are expensive and represent a real challenge.
Although the adoption of renewables is increasing in many parts of the world, it’s still constrained by many policy, regulatory, technological, social, and financial barriers. The lack of policy framework support also stands as a massive barrier that can undermine the feasibility of a renewable project.
