Alternative‿ energy

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

Renewables‿ are‿ intermittent,│ which means the system mus(t) manage‿ a supply that fluctuates‿ hourly. Solar generates│ when the sun shines‿ an(d) wind│ when‿ it blows,│ so either you buil(d) storage│ or you retain fossil capacity as‿ a backup,│ an(d) neither‿ option‿ is free. Pretending‿ otherwise‿ is how energy policy degenerates‿ into populism. What renders the transition feasible‿ is‿ infrastructure:│ cables,│ batteries‿ and‿ a grid designed for‿ a handful‿ of large generators│ an(d) now expected to accommodate millions‿ of small producers. The incumbents have little^li-dle‿ incentive to accelerate that,│ which‿ is why the subsidy has to^hasta be attached to the network‿ as much‿ as to the roof.

Subsidies‿ are defensible provided‿ it‿ is clear what they purchase. A subsidy for solar panels buys decarbonisation‿ 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,│ which my uncle will never forgive. The externality is real‿ an(d) should be acknowledged rather than dismissed. If‿ I could selec(t) one policy,│ it would be panels‿ on‿ every public building,│ because‿ it‿ is visible,│ it‿ is‿ inexpensive,│ an(d) children learn│ where‿ electricity originates‿ instead‿ of‿ arguing‿ about‿ it‿ abstractly.