Last month, the Wall Street Journal looked at a few persistent myths or beliefs held by both supporters and critics of renewable energy. The newspaper focused largely on wind and solar power, in part because they've shown explosive growth in recent years but also because they are at the center of political debates over energy, according to the report.
The article is written by a reporter from the Washingon Bureau, so T&D World is curious as to whether the power industry agrees with the "myths" listed, such as "Renewables are an insignificant source of power," and "Variability dooms renewable energy." The article, for the most part is favorable toward renewable energy, although the reporter lists one myth as "Renewables can replace all fossil fuels."
The flip side of critiques of renewable energy is boosterism. A handful of proponents describe a future where 100% of energy needs can be met affordably and reliably by renewables ... The U.S. would also need to virtually duplicate the entire existing network of transmission lines by 2050 to handle 80% renewable energy. The study notes that the trick would be figuring out where the lines would go, who would pay for them, and which state and local governments would be in charge. In other words, there's no technical reason renewable energy can't provide 80% of the power in the U.S. by midcentury. But there are a host of challenges that would have to be met first...(Wall Street Journal)