The Future of Solar, Wind and Renewable Energy

Soaring growth in the renewable energy sector will continue to be boosted by several factors that work in concert with each other. These include:

= Businesses and industries seeking to improve their own operations in order to lower emissions and improve overall sustainability within their sectors.

= Consumers preferring to be customers of retailers, manufacturers and services companies that have reasonable sustainability goals.

= Renewable energy sources becoming more reliable and cost-effective thanks to advancing technologies and economies of scale.

= Continued government incentives, rebates, grants and other programs encouraging increased use of renewable energy and reduced reliance on fossil fuels.

= Concern among importers of fossil fuels regarding the stability of certain oil and gas producers, particularly Russia, Iran and Venezuela.

Continued major investments in research and development of renewable technologies are also a key to this future. These research efforts will be funded by both private and government dollars. Likewise, an important key to the future of renewables is continued availability of funds for future infrastructure and manufacturing capacity, such as the global automobile industry’s willingness to invest in electric vehicle design and manufacture, as well as the ability of the electric utilities industry to make sizable investments in transmission facilities and storage batteries, in addition to wind, solar generation facilities.

Innovation will continue to be impressive, including steps forward in some truly revolutionary concepts.

Radical renewable energy concepts include the transmission of solar power from outer space and the transmission of renewable power from the Sahara Desert to power-hungry European markets.

Space Power Transmission: In early 2023, researchers at America’s Caltech University launched into orbit a Space Solar Power Demonstrator. This is a collection of systems and parts to be tested for possible later use in large-scale systems. Elsewhere, the European Space Agency is studying a possible space power system, and the China Academy of Space Technology hopes to have an operable power-transmitting satellite before 2030. In such systems, solar cells capture sunlight in space via photovoltaic cells and then transmit it to special Earth-based stations via microwaves. While this method of providing electricity on Earth is clearly a technical challenge, researchers are making great strides.

Sahara Desert Solar and Wind Power Generation: The massive deserts of North Africa, where sunlight is extremely powerful and reliable, as are prevailing winds, offer a tempting vision of renewable power captured for and transmitted to the vast energy-hungry populations of Europe. Proof of concept exists to some degree in a power cable that already crosses the Mediterranean Sea underwater for the very short distance from Morocco to Gibraltar. However, much larger projects are envisioned. One project proposed by Xlinks might deliver power from Southern Morocco to the UK, enough for 7 million homes. Additional lines are under consideration to deliver power to Portugal, Spain and other nations.

Nuclear Fusion: Nuclear fusion (as opposed to traditional atom splitting, or fission) is an atomic energy-releasing process in which light weight atomic nuclei, which might be hydrogen or deuterium, combine to form heavier nuclei, such as helium. The result is the release of a tremendous amount of energy in the form of heat. This is potentially an endless supply of energy for mankind, somewhat similar to the power of the Sun. Fusion is undergoing significant research efforts, including a multinational research consortium named ITER. In one approach, magnetic fusion, plasma heated to 100 million-degrees Celsius creates multiple fusion bursts controlled by powerful magnets. Under a different research approach, massive lasers bombard a frozen pellet of fuel creating a brief, intense fusion. Top American tech leaders, including Jeff Bezos and Bill Gates, are very significant backers of nuclear fusion startups.

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