Can Green Energy Make The Grid SAFER?

The climate community has gotten pretty loud about telling us that we need to reach net zero carbon emissions by 2050, which is fast approaching. And in order to do this, we’re going to need to electrify pretty much everything and green the grid. But this raises some pretty big questions. What will this clean, green future look like? Can we pull off this massive transition in time before some seriously dire tipping points are reached? And will our power grid even be able to handle it, considering how much more extreme our weather is getting due to climate change?

In this episode of Weathered, we speak to four different experts about this topic and dig as deep as we can to answer the question posed by the title: is the clean energy transition even possible with all this weather?

Weathered is a show hosted by weather expert Maiya May and produced by Balance Media that helps explain the most common natural disasters, what causes them, how they’re changing, and what we can do to prepare.

This episode of Weathered is licensed exclusively to YouTube.

Correction:
Peter Fox-Penner is the current CEO of Energy Impact Partners.

*****
*****

And keep up with Weathered and PBS Terra on:

[athos]

I installed solar panels on the roof of my house years ago. I bought an electric car four years ago, and have a recharge battery system set up in my garage for the car, using the solar energy.

I haven't been to a gas station in four years and doubt I will ever again.
Some months, my usage is low enough I have spare power that sell back to the electric company.

The more energy self-sufficient you can be, the less you are at the mercy of utility companies.
When the pandemic started I plotted out an acre in the backyard to grow vegetables.
I might even try a fruit plot next year.
Meanwhile I am working on a multi-rain barrel set up for watering.

Start with one project and then keep expanding from there.

[AndrewMcColl]

Here's a thought - start the ball rolling by putting solar panels on school roofs. The power gathered can be used by the school, and any excess (like what's gathered on weekends and during holidays) can be fed back into the local grid. Also, school kids can get involved with the installation, learn about the technology, and become advocates for it as they get older.

[Dovietail]

We need to put solar panels on top of parking lots, etc, instead of destroying habitat on the ground. My grocery here in AZ has a solar panel-covered parking lot. It's cool and pleasant underneath in dappled shade, and valuable energy is created overhead. It's wonderful!

[alexfrank]

Texas: Fossil fuel is reliable.
Also Texas - Fossil fuel power plants failure every winter.

[newscoulomb]

3:48 Sounds like another justification for high-speed rail, which can double as an additional pathway for electricity transmission.

[ellasmommy]

I would love to see this happen by 2050. I feel like there's an option we haven't explored yet and I just can't think of what it could be. I think new construction houses should have solar panels already installed

[artboymoy]

I was thinking that we needed to get to the micro grid solution for stable and reliable energy. Different areas have advantages and should be tailored to that instead of generating energy hundreds of miles away from where it's used. Would also like small modular reactors to get into the mix more for areas that don't seem to have a robust renewable plan and in general to provide a cleaner safer back up to renewables. I am still looking to add storage to my solar system and want to add a handful more panels to help load it up.

[catherineleslie-faye]

Every system we can power using locally generated green power - be it info booths, foot path lights, street lights, bus stops or even electric trollys, is a step towards a greener healthier Earth.

[ShutterJunkie]

I think as long as humanity is plagued by insatiable greed we will continue to live on the very edge of our doom.

[sarahwithanhyouheathen]

My biggest question is this: How can we get money out of politics so the zillionaires have to quit paying our lawmakers to keep renewable energy from happening?

[russellklegraefe]

Three things that weren’t covered :
1. Offshore wind can generate a lot of our electricity. Since most people live near the coast then the generation will be a short distance from the point of use.
2. Only a very small portion of the land, something like is 0.5%, is needed to create all the electricity needs of the country. The generation doesn’t have to be in the middle of the country and run hundreds of miles on new lines it can be more on the edge of where the winds are highest and where the sun shines the most.
3. Reduction of consumption of electricity is actually more attainable at the moment than building all new sources if people would just turn the TVs off, when not in use, or reduce the number of devices that instant on, we could probably shut down a few nuclear plants.

[HARE]

Looks like we can do this.
Let’s get started!

[paulsolimando]

Yes, decentralized power sounds like a good idea, but little by little, power companies are removing the incentive for homeowners to be able to add their excess solar power to the grid by removing the ability to send back power to the grid. They lobby the government to lower the amount of money they have to pay, and they replace power meters so that if the power is flowing out of the home, the meter still goes in the same direction not allowing to get a pay back from the utility.

[juliatarrel]

There are also several teams working out how to use waves to generate energy. One of my favourites (though I have no idea about feasibility) is finding coasts that have rocky narrow inlets in cliffs and sticking turbines in there. Wave crashes in, air is forced up through the turbine. Wave retreats, air is forced down through the turbine. Every time the turbine spins, it turns a generator. Almost-free power; just requires occasional maintence on the turbine and generator.

[newscoulomb]

One form of renewable that deserves more consideration is tidal. Its consistency and proximity to high population densities make it one of the most effective forms of renewable energy, and currently, it is one of the least used. We're already seeing great examples and implementations of this technology in the Orkney Islands.

[Goni]

I really appreciated the breakdown in the video with all details. Hoping we can get it done soon. Im seeing virtual power plant projects moving forward in my area.We have a lot of opportunity to improve so lets get to it!

[Arkine]

Need to make that self-sufficiency in terms of water, food and pretty much everything else (harvesting your own lumber for building and not having to hire a certified technician to come test the lumber for moisture content...when you can buy a tester online for very cheap and build a lumber dryer for very cheap...but it's not government "approved" so if they catch you building with it they can tear your entire project down--never fool yourself, you don't own your land, the government does. That's why they can take your property and sell it if you don't pay property taxes, aka rent, the government owns "your" land). There are states that are EXTREMELY restrictive on water collection, there are cities, towns and stupid HOAs that won't let you plant gardens, have any animals that are considered farm or livestock, or have solar panels or wind generators on your property without their permission (and paying their fees). The amount of red tape that people have to go through to be "self-sufficient" is ridiculous and in some cases will never be approved because of government (state, local and federal) laws have literally made it illegal to be self-sufficient. This whole net-zero push is actually making people less self-sufficient because of the approval process for every damn thing. And don't tell me it's about safety, most people want to build safely--they don't want to live in unsafe conditions and will often over engineer their designs, so it's not about safety, it's about the government and everyone else that has their fingers in the whole damn thing getting their cut of the money. Don't get me wrong, I'm glad this video mentioned that you can generate enough power for small groups to be off-grid and not put a strain on the rest of the system (and have power if the grid does go down), but there's a lot more to being "off-grid" than just the powerline.

[Touton]

I’m all for the green energy switch, but here in Newfoundland, they proposed to build wind farms in the areas that belong to the Native Americans and have been used for hunting for thousands of years by both the locals and natives of the province and yet they don’t care about the natives and were told all day every day from main stream media we need to care about them and protect their land so that in itself confuses me

[mannybravo]

The 'future' is already here! Tell this green plan energy transformation to the petro companies.

[garymiller]

thanks Terra for the broad brushstroke of the needed transition to renewables