SSREC

Another comprehensive overview report about the potential of renewable energy systems around the world was updated and published in June 2022. As stated in the report’s conclusion, “The world needs a rapid transition to clean, renewable energy to address air pollution, climate, and energy security issues. Here, roadmaps to transition 145 countries to 100% clean, renewable WWS (wind, water, solar) energy and storage across all energy sectors are developed. The full transition should occur no later than 2050, but ideally by 2035….”.

The full report can be viewed here:

Click to access 22-145Countries.pdf

The roadmap for Canada can be viewed here:

Click to access 21-WWS-Canada.pdf

Roadmaps for all countries and regions can be viewed here:

https://sites.google.com/stanford.edu/wws-roadmaps

Previously published 2050 Vision infographic for Canada, based on findings from the same Stanford Roadmaps project:

According to a major review of research on 100% renewable energy systems published in July 2022, “The main conclusion of the vast majority of 100% renewable energy systems studies is that such systems can power all energy in all regions of the world at low cost. As such, we do not need to rely on fossil fuels in the future. In the early 2020s, the consensus has increasingly become that solar PV and wind power will dominate the future energy system and new research increasingly shows that 100% renewable energy systems are not only feasible but also cost effective”.

This research review can be downloaded at:
https://ieeexplore.ieee.org/document/9837910

It looks like the German government is (finally) getting serious about decarbonizating their energy by massively investing equally in wind and solar energy and many other countries are doing likewise. Germany, which receives between 15 and 35% less sunshine than BC, already has 60,000 MW of solar PV. BC has a piddly 50 MW! Between now and 2030 – the period that the IPCC identified as absolutely critical (‘Code Red’ in their words) in getting a handle on climate change – Germany will install 15,500 MW of solar every year.

Adjusted for population, BC would be installing 950 MW of solar annually. This may sound like a lot, and let’s face it, it is, but we missed the ferry on decarbonization a long time ago. Now have to scramble to switch to non carbon-emitting energies like solar, wind and geothermal at 5-7% a year to meet BC’s climate commitments.

We are embarrassing laggards when it comes to cleaning up our energy arena, where almost 80% of the energy consumed still comes from burning fossil fuels – with about half going to transportation and another large proportion to heating water and buildings.

To stop burning stuff, we need to electrify. Installing those 950 MW solar on rooftops, box stores, parking lots, under transmission lines, on reservoirs (floatovoltacis), farms (agrivoltaics) and brown fields is highly feasible and would cost less than $2 billion a year. For every MW installed, BC would save over 1140 metric tonnes of CO2e over burning fossil fuels (methane, propane, gasoline, diesel) – that would go a rather long way to the urgently needed decarbonization of the BC energy system. It would also create about 15 local jobs for each MW.

The time to sit on the fence expired a couple of decades ago. We must act now, and it looks the little people have to lead the way while the politicians discuss transition fuels, or the rainbow colours of hydrogen and other pies in the sky. We have the tools, and the technology. Now we must find the will and money to handle the crisis. What are we waiting for?

Tom Mommsen & Risa Smith, SSREC