Wind and Solar Won't Save Us

Gail Tverberg writes about the problems of transitioning to a "short list" of energy sources.

The possibility of making a transition to an all-renewables system seems virtually impossible, for the reasons I have outlined.

The topic doesn’t seem to go away, because it is appealing to have a “solution” to what seems to be a predicament with no solution.

Update (September 30):  Contrasting articles suggest 100 percent renewable energy is a fantasy and that 100 percent renewable electricity is possible by 2030.

Update (February 27, 2018):  Stan Cox criticizes plans for "100 percent renewable" energy that propose low per-capita levels of consumption for poorer nations.

Update (June 10, 2018):  Gregor Hagedorn considers whether short-term exponential growth in renewable energy can lead to sustainability.

Update (September 2, 2019):  Tim Radford points to promising research in Canada and Europe. Hydrogen gas can be extracted from bitumen and old oil fields by pumping in oxygen enriched air; and the wind potential in Europe could satisfy world demand for decades. But Radford is careful to point out:

Neither technology is likely to be exploited on a massive scale in the very near future.