As I see it
the major issue with renewables is the fact that we currently need to switch them off whenever we start making too much energy, and when we can leave them on, they aren't producing enough energy. It's a catch 22 situation.
The solution is, in my opinion, simple, but expensive. Tesla have already launched a home battery system for those with solar panels, any excess energy generated from your panels, rather than being sent back to the grid, is stored away for a rainy day. (quite literally).
There is actually scope to do this also on a local and/or national level. When renewable energy is up the batteries get charged, when it is down the batteries drained. The problem is it's a massive change and a massive investment on what is currently a theoretical concept. We're still a ways from it being fully feasible, the tesla home battery is currently brand spanking new tech, and we're better off waiting a decade or so for battery tech to improve enough to make such a system cost effective.
I do still firmly believe that with advances in technology we could become fully reliant on renewables. But not with our current grid system, and not with the renewable systems currently on the market We would be better off first changing that system (which could also save money by building up our stored energy reserves when fuel prices are low, and relying on the stored reserves as much as possible when prices rise again)
By the time such a system is planned and implemented solar should have had enough time to mature to a point it's worthwhile for the majority and not the minority.
Biting the hand that feeds IT
