Sven Teske, University of Technology Sydney and Sarah Niklas, University of Technology Sydney
Keeping global warming under 1.5°C is still achievable with rapid deployment of renewables. A new report found solar and wind can supply the world’s energy demand more than 50 times over.
None of Australia’s highest-emitting energy firms are fully or even closely aligned with global climate goals. Just one goes even partway, and five appeared to be taking no action at all.
Scientists are working on ways to make lots of energy by converting matter into energy. The trick is keeping the process under control. One possibility is nuclear fusion – the Sun’s power source.
Some coal workers have the right skills and work in the right location to get a job in renewables. But many, such as semi-skilled machine operators, cannot.
Renewables technology already exists, it’s getting cheaper and we will never go to war over sunshine. If you need to be convinced of the potential of wind and solar, read this.
The transformation of the national electricity market has “progressed at a remarkable pace and scale” over the last year as it moves towards renewables, but security remains a critical issue.
Solar and wind can’t deliver power on demand. But overbuilding solar and wind, and simply dumping unneeded energy, would go a long way to smoothing out those bumps, study finds.