Challenges of off-grid renewable energy reliability

Summarised by Centrist

“Living off-grid has shown me that modern society cannot function on renewable energy” is the title and conclusion of Psuedonaja Textilis  (a pseudonym) who describes Living off-grid for over 20 years in Victoria, Australia 

This setup involved transitioning to solar panels, wind generators, and a large battery bank to power two homes. Relying on renewables is great in summer, but struggles in winter’s reduced sunlight, often necessitating fossil-fueled generators for backup. 

The author recognizes renewable energy’s potential but notes current storage technology is insufficient for a society to rely exclusively on solar and wind energy. Society is still going to need petrol, diesel, and nuclear to keep going. 

“(A)nyone who thinks that a modern society can function with a power grid that runs on just solar and wind power without fossil fuel or nuclear backup that’s able to immediately provide up to 100% of power needs on cloudy, still days and dark, windless nights, is totally deluded!”

Read more over at the Daily Skeptic