Limitations of Solar and Wind

Solar and wind energy lie at the heart of all Net Zero programs. Other sources of energy play important roles, but none of them are as crucial as solar and wind. 

In spite of their importance, solar and wind have five major drawbacks as replacement for fossil fuels.

1. They are intermittent,

2. They are not dispatchable,

3. They require a lot of space,

4. They do not provide petrochemical feedstocks, and

5. They do not provide transportation fuels.

1. Intermittent

The first, and most serious, difficulty to do with solar and wind is that they are intermittent. They are not ‘always on’. With regard to solar, it is night half the time and the sun frequently does not shine during the day. Wind power is equally unreliable.

This intermittency is a huge problem, the impact of which can hardly be over-stressed. Through use of grid-management software and the use of long-distance connections it is possible to overcome this difficulty to some degree. But the reality is that, for every existing fossil fuel plant, at least two solar or wind facilities of the same capacity will have to be built in order to provide the needed power. Otherwise, energy storage facilities on a scale that is rarely contemplated will have to be built and commissioned.

2. Not Dispatchable

The second difficulty to do with solar and wind is that the power that they generate is usually not provided when needed. This is not a problem for fossil fuel plants. As customers increase and decreased their demand for energy, so the plants can ramp up and down. The power that they provide is ‘dispatchable’.