{"id":"https://thebreakthrough.org/issue/renewable-energy","schemaVersion":2,"name":"Renewable Energy","category":"Energy","url":"https://thebreakthrough.org/issue/renewable-energy","json":"https://thebreakthrough.org/issue/renewable-energy.json","ask":"","position":"Renewable energy will be a key to a fully decarbonized, modern grid. But, despite the claims of activist researchers, a 100% renewable energy future is neither broadly practical, nor desirable. Renewable, firm power sources like geothermal and hydropower are not available in all locations, while heavy reliance on variable solar and wind may face operational uncertainty, infrastructure, cost, and land use constraints while requiring vast backup capacity. The development of technologies like advanced nuclear fission, fusion, and natural gas with carbon capture remains crucial even with significant recent progress in the solar, wind, and battery sectors.","faq":[{"question":"Is renewable energy cheaper than fossil fuels?","answer":"The question that real-world engineers and policymakers face is a little different. Generation costs alone don’t capture the full cost of a reliable power system. Transmission, storage, backup generation, and grid upgrades also matter. Affordable electricity requires evaluating technologies by the value they provide to the entire grid, not just their generation costs. Wind and solar can produce inexpensive electricity, and using them to replace fossil fuels on the grid can reduce costs. However, the value of additional wind and solar can diminish as their share of generation grows, with little leverage over the hours of the day or the weeks of the year when meeting demand is most difficut."},{"question":"Can renewable energy replace fossil fuels?","answer":"Renewables can replace substantial amounts of fossil fuel use, but a reliable, affordable, low-carbon energy system will likely require more than renewables alone. Other technologies—nuclear, geothermal, and natural gas with carbon capture—can complement renewables and provide around-the-clock, low-carbon energy around the clock."},{"question":"What is the biggest problem with renewable energy?","answer":"Wind and solar power generation vary depending on weather, geography, and time of day. As the share of wind and solar grows, maintaining reliability requires more transmission, storage, and firm power."},{"question":"Does renewable energy cause pollution?","answer":"Even including manufacturing and raw material footprints, renewable energy sources cause significantly less environmental pollution than fossil fuels. But, wind and solar still require mining, manufacturing, land, and eventual waste disposal."}],"experts":[{"name":"Seaver Wang","url":"https://thebreakthrough.org/people/seaver-wang"},{"name":"Ted Nordhaus","url":"https://thebreakthrough.org/people/ted-nordhaus"},{"name":"Alex Trembath","url":"https://thebreakthrough.org/people/alex-trembath"}],"startHere":[{"title":"What the 100% Renewables Literature Gets Wrong","url":"https://thebreakthrough.org/issues/energy/what-the-100-renewables-literature-gets-wrong","date":"2023-07-26"},{"title":"Confronting the Solar Manufacturing Industry's Human Rights Problem","url":"https://thebreakthrough.org/issues/energy/sins-of-a-solar-empire","date":"2022-11-15"},{"title":"Updated Mining Footprints and Raw Material Needs for Clean Energy","url":"https://thebreakthrough.org/issues/energy/updated-mining-footprints-and-raw-material-needs-for-clean-energy","date":"2024-04-25"}],"latest":[{"title":"The Faulty Logic at the Heart of Environmentalist Opposition to BAAJA","url":"https://thebreakthrough.org/issues/energy/the-faulty-logic-at-the-heart-of-environmentalist-opposition-to-baaja","date":"2026-10-30","type":"Analysis"},{"title":"Permitting Reform Unlocks More Clean Energy Than Trump Blocks","url":"https://thebreakthrough.org/issues/energy/permitting-reform-unlocks-more-clean-energy-than-trump-blocks","date":"2026-10-08","type":"Analysis"},{"title":"The Public Power Anchor","url":"https://thebreakthrough.org/issues/energy/the-public-power-anchor","date":"2026-07-31","type":"Analysis"},{"title":"Home Upgrades Can't Power Data Centers","url":"https://thebreakthrough.org/issues/energy/home-upgrades-cant-power-data-centers","date":"2026-07-27","type":"Analysis"},{"title":"Caught Between Hormuz and a (Chinese) Hard Place","url":"https://thebreakthrough.org/issues/energy/caught-between-hormuz-and-a-chinese-hard-place","date":"2026-06-03","type":"Analysis"},{"title":"Data Centers Won’t Be In Space Anytime Soon","url":"https://thebreakthrough.org/issues/energy/data-centers-wont-be-in-space-anytime-soon","date":"2026-02-17","type":"Analysis"},{"title":"Trump’s War on Renewables in Context","url":"https://thebreakthrough.org/issues/energy/trumps-war-on-renewables-in-context","date":"2026-02-11","type":"Analysis"},{"title":"Do Renewables Lower Electricity Prices?","url":"https://thebreakthrough.org/issues/energy/do-renewables-lower-electricity-prices","date":"2025-10-29","type":"Analysis"},{"title":"Burning the Breadbasket","url":"https://thebreakthrough.org/issues/food-agriculture-environment/burning-the-breadbasket","date":"2025-10-17","type":"Analysis"},{"title":"Blackout","url":"https://thebreakthrough.org/issues/energy/blackout","date":"2025-10-10","type":"Analysis"}],"policyHub":"https://thebreakthrough.org/policy?topics=national-environmental-policy-act%7Ccritical-mineral-public-investment%7Ctransmission-2%7Cbiofuels-2%7Cmining-and-processing-regulation","policyAreas":[{"slug":"national-environmental-policy-act","name":"National Environmental Policy Act","records":4,"url":"https://thebreakthrough.org/policy?topics=national-environmental-policy-act"},{"slug":"critical-mineral-public-investment","name":"Critical Mineral Public Investment","records":3,"url":"https://thebreakthrough.org/policy?topics=critical-mineral-public-investment"},{"slug":"transmission-2","name":"Transmission","records":3,"url":"https://thebreakthrough.org/policy?topics=transmission-2"},{"slug":"biofuels-2","name":"Biofuels","records":1,"url":"https://thebreakthrough.org/policy?topics=biofuels-2"},{"slug":"mining-and-processing-regulation","name":"Mining and Processing Regulation","records":1,"url":"https://thebreakthrough.org/policy?topics=mining-and-processing-regulation"}],"policyRecords":[{"id":281543,"title":"The Faulty Logic at the Heart of Environmentalist Opposition to BAAJA","url":"https://thebreakthrough.org/issues/energy/the-faulty-logic-at-the-heart-of-environmentalist-opposition-to-baaja","type":"Analysis","date":"2026-10-30","stance":"none","subject":"","subjectUrl":"","summary":"","authors":"Seaver Wang; 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