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100% Renewables by 2030 for Less Than Fossil Power:

100% Renewables by 2030 for Less Than Fossil Power: A Case is Made solve climate by Stacy Feldman – Oct 26th, 2009

Can the whole planet really get 100 percent of its energy from renewables in just two decades?

Yes, according to new research, and for cheaper than coal.

But how exactly? The answer lies in scaling up three categories of existing clean energy technologies – wind, solar and water – and global political will.

The paper, “A Plan to Power 100 Percent of the Planet with Renewables,” was published in the November issue of Scientific American…………………

For one, say the authors, the technologies needed for 100 percent clean power are already working (or close to working) today. Two, the cost of generating and transmitting these renewables would be less than the projected cost per kilowatt-hour for fossil-fuel and nuclear power. And three, a massive shift from conventional to clean power would lead to a 30 percent decrease in global power demand…………………….

Here’s what governments must do:

• Eliminate fossil fuel subsidies, such as tax benefits for their exploration and extraction.
• Enact feed-in tariff (FIT) programs that cover the difference between generation costs and electricity prices.
• Tax fossil fuels or their use to reflect environmental damages.
• End “misguided promotion of alternatives” that are less desirable than wind, solar and water, such as farm and production subsidies for biofuels.
• Invest in long-distance, robust transmission systems that can carry large quantities of clean power from remote regions to consumption centers.
• Build smart grid systems that reduces consumer demand during peak usage periods.

The main obstacle is the political will to implement these policies, the report claims.

100% Renewables by 2030 for Less Than Fossil Power: A Case is Made | SolveClimate.com

October 27, 2009 - Posted by Christina Macpherson | 1, 2 WORLD, climate change, ENERGY | renewables, solar