We know that most forms of renewable energy are intermittent, which some have used as a scare tactic to keep people from investing, either emotionally or materially, in clean energy technology.
It’s true, renewable energy, such as solar power, depends on sunshine, or hydroelectric power, depends on rainfall, so a new energy future could be fraught with brownouts and blackouts. The aging power grid is already suffering grave issues, so adding supposedly unreliable energy sources would only stress it more, at least, that’s what opponents would have you believe. On the other hand, some cities are already making the switch, without incident. Additionally, a recent report by the Brattle Group, in response to concerns of the NERC (North American Energy Reliability Corporation), reliability is less of a concern than one might assume.
The Brattle Group report states, “Following a review of the reliability concerns raised and the options for mitigating them, we find that compliance with the EPA CPP (Environmental Protection Agency Clean Power Plan) is unlikely to materially affect reliability. The combination of the ongoing transformation of the power sector, the steps already taken by system operators, the large and expanding set of technological and operational tools available and the flexibility under the CPP are likely sufficient to ensure that compliance will not come at the cost of reliability.”
In all actuality, the addition of multiple renewable energy sources, as well as energy storage solutions, as well as continued power grid construction and repairs, at levels below historical averages, would result in a power grid that’s exceptionally reliable and resilient. In addition, moving to renewable energy would result in incalculable savings in greenhouse gas emissions, climate change mitigation, and public health.
Of course renewable energy is reliable. It is the only source of energy that we can rely on hundreds of years into the future.