The Response to the common objections of investing in renewable energy

Introduction:

Renewable energy is one of the most promising areas of alternative energy. It is now cheaper to generate electricity from solar and wind power than from fossil fuels. As the cost of renewable energy continues to come down, more and more companies are starting to use it as a primary source of energy instead of traditional sources such as coal and oil. However, there are still many people who are hesitant to invest in renewable energy for various reasons. In this article, we’ll talk about 5 of the most common objections and explain why they are not valid concerns.

Common Misconceptions and Their Response:

“Renewable energy is not yet proven to be economically viable.”

False! Renewable energy is already economically viable. [1]

“Renewable energy is too uncertain.” 

False! Renewable energy is far more certain than fossil fuels.

Wind, solar, wave, and biomass are all mature technologies that have been around for decades… and will be around for centuries to come. Fossil fuels may or may not exist in 100 years… but they are certainly going to be around in some form in 50 years, 100 years… or maybe even 500 years from now! Renewable energy, on the other hand, is here today… and will be here tomorrow. 

“Renewable energy depends on unpredictable weather conditions.”

It is true that the availability of renewable energy depends on unpredictable weather conditions. However, this does not mean that it is not possible to produce reliable methods of harnessing energy from renewable sources to satisfy our future needs.  In fact, there are numerous research projects are being undertaken to forecast reliably the availability of renewable sources and flatten out the effect that unpredictable weather conditions have on energy markets. Some of these efforts are part of large research projects, some are being conducted by individual researchers or companies. Flattening of the unpredictable behavior is most likely to occur around the time when there will be a large mix of renewable sources available at our disposal. To learn more about this topic [2] can be read.

“Renewable energy is expensive.” 

False! It is far more expensive to build a fossil fuel plant than a renewable one [3].

If you consider the energy pricing from different energy sources then we may look upon to the U.S. Energy Information Administration, the annual cost of producing one unit of electrical energy from solar, wind, or biomass is roughly equal to the annual cost of producing one unit of electrical energy from coal, natural gas, or nuclear power.

Also, the below image can be taken into account in order to compare the cost per unit of different energy sources. [4]

Conclusion:

Renewable energy can be expensive. That’s true. However, when you look at the long-term financial picture, it is really very cost-effective. Yes, it will initially cost more to buy equipment to generate power from renewable sources. But, that initial expense will be amortized across a very long time period. When you add it all up, it will actually end up being cheaper to use renewable power over a long time frame.

References:

  1. https://www.forbes.com/sites/energyinnovation/2020/01/21/renewable-energy-prices-hit-record-lows-how-can-utilities-benefit-from-unstoppable-solar-and-wind/?sh=a4c6122c84e6
  2. https://blogs.scientificamerican.com/plugged-in/renewable-energy-intermittency-explained-challenges-solutions-and-opportunities/
  3. https://www.eia.gov/analysis/studies/powerplants/capitalcost/pdf/capital_cost_AEO2020.pdf
  4. https://www.iea.org/reports/projected-costs-of-generating-electricity-2020

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