βοΈ "An energy system with 100% solar and wind is possible"
Solar, wind and batteries are enough to cover 100% of our energy needs in most parts of the world. This will lead to an abundance of cheap energy, which will create new opportunities and businesses.
Four takeaways from Tony Seba's energy report.
Tony Seba and his think-tank RethinkX recently published a super interesting report on the future of energy. Here are the most important takeaways.
100% solar and wind is possible
According to the report, 100% clean electricity from solar, wind, and batteries is both physically possible and economically affordable across the overwhelming majority of populated regions of the world by 2030.
This will lead to super power
One of the most counterintuitive and extraordinary properties of the new system is that it will produce a much larger amount of energy overall.
This superabundance of clean energy output β which we call super power β will be available at near-zero marginal cost throughout much of the year in nearly all populated locations.
A disruption similar to information technology
Just as computers and the Internet slashed the marginal cost of information and opened the door to hundreds of new business models, so too will solar-wind-batteries cut the marginal cost of electricity and create a plethora of opportunities for innovation and entrepreneurship.
Does not grow linear
Super power does not grow linearly with investment in capacity.
Increasing system capital expense by just 20% will double or triple super power output.
Emissions in advanced economies fell by 4.5% during 2023.
At the same time, GDP in advanced economies grew by approximately 1.7%.
Coal use in advanced economies is down to the same level as in 1900.
The price of lithium-ion batteries in China has decreased by 51 percent in the past year.
Lower battery prices make electric vehicles cheaper than fossil fuel cars in many segments, and large-scale battery solutions in energy systems become more profitable.
π³ Whales have a phonetic alphabet. π Space probe returns with samples from the far side of the moon - for the first time. π Solar telescope tracks the source of the solar wind for the first time.