How to make the renewables revolution a reality
Posted: 17th November 2021
Nov. 17, 2021
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More important than climate-change commitments made at COP26 is how to implement those pledges. Bulletin editor-in-chief John Mecklin introduces the experts who examine the roles of solar, wind, and even nuclear energy in the renewable revolution. Read more.
SHARON SQUASSONI
Opinion: Nuclear energy is a distraction on the road to climate solutions
Despite its low-carbon virtues, nuclear energy is anything but quick. Continuing to support nuclear energy at the expense of faster and cheaper alternatives for cutting greenhouse gas emissions is a losing strategy, writes Sharon Squassoni. Read our premium content.
DAN DROLLETTE JR
Interview: Greg Nemet on 5 things that must happen for renewables to fit into the grid
The author of How Solar Became Cheap: A Model for Low-Carbon Innovation discusses what needs to be done to truly integrate renewable energy into the US electrical grid and decarbonize the country. Read our premium content.
JACQUELINE A. DOWLING AND NATHAN S. LEWIS
Long-duration energy storage for reliable renewable electricity
Reliable and affordable zero-carbon electricity systems may depend on storage. The Bulletin compares realistic options for long-duration energy storage, including underground hydrogen, pumped hydro, pumped thermal, and compressed air systems. Read our premium content.
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KERRY EMANUEL
Nuclear fear: the irrational obstacle to real climate action
If the world is genuinely serious about rapid decarbonization to avoid the worse health and climate risks, it will need to take steps to rapidly improve and deploy both nuclear and renewable energy. Read our premium content.
ROBERT ROSNER AND SABRINA FIELDS
Is nuclear power sustainable in a carbon-free world?
A look at the electricity market of Sweden, which has already fully decarbonized its electricity sector, basing its electricity generation entirely on a mix of hydroelectric power, nuclear power, and the use of biofuels, with much smaller contributions from renewables such as solar PV and wind-generated power. Read our premium content.
DAN DROLLETTE JR
Interview: Anthony Kirincich on offshore wind
What the United States can and cannot learn about windmills from Europe, long the world leader in this form of renewable energy. Complimentary access to our premium content.
ROBERT J. GOLDSTON AND JACOB A. SCHWARTZ
Fusion’s role in fighting climate change
It is unlikely that fusion will contribute in a major way to President Biden’s goal of decarbonizing US electrical energy production by 2035. Low-carbon energy sources such as fusion will need to be used on a growing scale to meet the expected demand for energy. Complimentary access to our premium content.
ROBERT ALVAREZ AND JOSEPH MANGANO
Bombs, science, and baby teeth
In the 1950s, the Atomic Energy Commission researched how many nuclear weapons can be detonated before imperiling humans from radioactive fallout by examining baby teeth. The work combined scientific research with a political movement aimed at ending the nuclear arms race. Read our premium content.