We have a complicated relationship with renewable energy, not because we don’t welcome the change it ignites, or the call-to-action that it inevitably facilitates toward environmental stewardship. Our belief systems are often misguided because they are rooted in the unknown.
Lack of Information, or Interest?
It’s not everyday that you read about renewable energies in a way that is simplified, relatable, not nonsensical. The times we hear about renewable energies are also clouded by sound editorializing of them: renewable energies don’t mean carbon-free energy. Alas, that seems to be the problem, doesn’t it? The idea that we aren’t exactly forfeiting a vice for a virtue.
Those who are committed to climate change should take into account the environmental benefits of their renewable strategies in a way that is accurate and transparent – but not in a way as to dissuade the public in favour of a half-picture.
There’s also general malaise when it comes to renewables or anything relative to the green sector. It isn’t exactly sexy, that is until we read about the effects of global warming.
The Facts:
Here is what we know: 160 companies around the world have committed to using 100 per cent renewable energy, but that won’t translate to it being carbon free. According to a new Stanford study, the difference will increase as power grids continue to become less reliant upon fossil power.
Current methods used to measure greenhouse gas emissions use yearly averages, even though the carbon content of electricity on the grid fluctuates dependent upon location and time of day. This means that we’re not getting the full picture. By 2025, the use of yearly averages in California may grossly overestimate the carbon reductions that are associated with solar power by more than 50 per cent, when compared to hourly averages.
This theory, then, argues that in order for us to receive accuracy, power consumption must be matched with renewable power generation on an hourly basis. Essentially, investing in more solar energy won’t mean that there are no carbon emissions.
What We Need to Know:
Corporations that claim they are entirely renewable are simply inaccurate, and kind of like false advertising. But again, this doesn’t mean that they shouldn’t be commended. It just means that consumers need to understand the basis of renewables before any real change can percolate.
They purchase or generate enough renewable energy to match 100 per cent or more of their electricity use over the span of one year. For energy purchases that are dominated by solar power, there is more electricity generated than it needs in the afternoon and then it sells the excess. At night it purchases power from the grid, which will be more carbon-heavy if burning fossil fuels uses it.
This means that annual averages are most valid when there are small fluctuations in renewable generations, or if you can store all of the renewable energies and reuse them.
And So?
Essentially, if you want entire accuracy when it comes to renewables, there must be a suffice way of harnessing energy and an ability to recycle it. Otherwise, you’re not entirely carbon free. Maybe that’s all we can expect for now.
Related:
Renewable Energies Overtake Coal In The U.S.
Canada’s Green Energy Sector: Booming But Not Buzzing
