Really, every one interested in renewables and net-zero should listen.
IIRC, my own take aways from this interview:
At the time of this interview, in the USA, because of subsidies and tariffs, only natural gas (IIRC ~$70 gWh) is cheaper than solar + battery for new generation.
Battery storage costs continue to drop faster than any one has anticipated. -40% in 2024 alone. Wow!
Even people savvy about our glorious renewable energy future don't fully appreciate just how quickly how fast both solar and batteries have and will continue to improve.
I don't remember the specifics when where wind is preferable to solar. IIRC, even in Finland solar + battery still pencils out.
Since solar + battery only gets us ~90% (?) to net-zero, we'll still need wind. (Ditto adv geo therm, heat batteries, pumped hydro, etc. Because we'll need A LOT more of everything for net-negative, to restore 360 ppm for CO2 and other GHGs.)
Personal note: Am very eager for Jenny Chase's yearly report on solar. Especially prospects for scaling up wind generation. Chase previously expressed concern about wind lagging behind solar. Which is bad, because we'll still need a lot of wind (at northern latitudes).
Having quickly scanned prior comments here, my impression is that u/epistatis is spot on.
In other words, most everyone's priors need a major update.
Solar+storage is so much farther along than you think / A conversation with Kostantsa Rangelova and Dave Jones of Ember. [2025/07/16]
https://www.volts.wtf/p/solarstorage-is-so-much-farther-alon...
Really, every one interested in renewables and net-zero should listen.
IIRC, my own take aways from this interview:
Having quickly scanned prior comments here, my impression is that u/epistatis is spot on.In other words, most everyone's priors need a major update.