Climate Change Puts Renewables Under Increased Pressure
The ongoing transition from fossil fuels to renewables is currently facing a challenge that is simultaneously ironic and pressing as the climate instability that renewables are built to address is now degrading their performance. Extreme heat reduces solar output, volatile precipitation undermines hydropower, and intensifying storms are forcing wind turbines into protective shutdowns. The global warming that makes the transition necessary is making it harder to execute. For solar energy, the semiconductor materials that generate electricity from sunlight lose efficiency as they heat up. Studies measure the penalty at 0.4 to 0.5 percentage points for every degree above 25°C. During…
