Alternative‿ energy

My name‿ is‿ Ivan. We installed solar panels two years‿ ago,│ and‿ our bills have fallen by forty^for-dy percent,│ which‿ is the part‿ of the story everybody wants to hear. The par(t) nobody mentions‿ is the grid.

Renewables‿ are‿ intermittent,│ which means the electricity system has to^hasta manage‿ a supply that varies by the hour. Solar works│ when the sun shines‿ an(d) win(d) works│ when‿ it blows,│ so either you buil(d) storage│ or you keep fossil fuel plants running‿ as‿ a backup. Neither‿ is free,│ an(d) pretending‿ otherwise‿ is how energy policy becomes populist. What makes the transition possible‿ is‿ infrastructure:│ cables,│ batteries,│ and‿ a grid that was designed for‿ a few large generators‿ and‿ is now expected to handle millions‿ of small producers.

Subsidies‿ are justified,│ in my view,│ as long‿ as they are transparent‿ about what they are buying. A subsidy for solar panels buys‿ emissions reductions‿ and‿ energy security;│ a subsidy for‿ a win(d) farm‿ on the hill│ where‿ I played‿ as‿ a chil(d) buys the same thing‿ an(d) costs‿ a landscape,│ an(d) my uncle will never forgive‿ it. If‿ I could choose one policy,│ it would be panels‿ on‿ every public building,│ because‿ it‿ is visible,│ it‿ is cheap,│ an(d) children learn│ where‿ electricity comes from‿ instead‿ of‿ arguing‿ about‿ it‿ in the abstract.