What are the challenges facing green technology?

In order for us to achieve Net Zero, we’ll need to redesign the global energy system through the use of green technology. This will ensure that the system can fully function with just renewable sources instead of just relying on fossil fuels. Most of the transmission and distribution lines were constructed in the 1950s and 1960s, when demand was smaller and we still heavily relied on fossil fuel. We’ll need to fully reconsider how the grid works in order to increase its flexibility. This will make the energy system more resilient to any potential outages, attacks, and extreme weather conditions.

Most renewable energy is generated at a certain point in the day, which doesn’t usually line up with the peak demand times. Renewable energy generation can be quite intermittent. We can’t produce solar energy at night and wind energy generation dips throughout the day. However, people need power and electricity 24/7. Therefore, more work and investment needs to be done to create efficient storage systems for the excess energy we generate. Battery storage systems can help us to store surplus energy for later use and help with grid instability, preventing any blackouts. This may be the solution to this challenge, but the high costs associated with this could cause another barrier to overcome.

A significant barrier on our journey to Net Zero is the costs associated with both investment and implementation of green energy technologies. In order to become more reliant on green energy than fossil fuels, we need to have more sources of renewable energy generation. But both the investment and implementation costs of renewable energy technology can be incredibly high. The benefits definitely outweigh the negatives of costs with green energy. But these high costs are likely to deter people from making the switch.

One of the most common issues facing renewable energy projects is extended lead times and the need for permits. This has led to a significant backlog of wind capacity in Europe. There are four times more stalled projects in Europe than there is currently under construction. These delays prevent the industry from expanding on a larger scale as it relies on investment certainty and timely project completion to meet the market demands efficiently.

To be able to fully harness energy from renewable sources, we’re going to need a lot of space. Wind and solar farms need a large amount of land, much more than your traditional power station. In order to maximise renewable energy generation, we need to find the land to build the large solar and wind farms we need to meet the electricity demand. The environmental impact of finding and using this land needs to be considered too.