Solar is getting so much cheaper, at such a fast pace, that I really don't understand how one can disagree that it's the future of our energy grids. Installing solar is a no-brainer in some parts of the world now, and in the very near future (extrapolating from the last 10 years), it'll be every part of the world soon.
What problems am I hand waving away?
https://www.statista.com/chart/26085/price-per-megawatt-hour...
It's like being back in the 1700s and arguing that research into petrol is a waste of time. I absolutely do not understand this mindset.
We will not be here in 200 years to enjoy fusion if we don't adopt solar and battery _right now_.
Technically, none of us will be here in 200 years.
I very much doubt if climate change will lead to an end to the human species, so I think a better way talk about this stuff is to frame it in terms of our descendants living in an impoverished, less beautiful, more strife-filled world.
But yes, FFS, action yesterday or last week, and make it trillions of dollars worth of action, like an actual war, but for infinitely better reasons.
When I was 16 I remember reading a Scientific American article that was describing how nuclear fusion was around the corner. Within the next 2 years!
It's always been clearly communicated to me that fusion is extremely hard and we're not that close to getting it working.
But this chart is the levelized cost of energy. Its not the price at which you can get it. Energy demands are higher in winter. They are non trivial at night. The cost of energy might be low, but the price at which you can get it may be very high if not enough is available.
I use 6kWh / day. (not sure how! but that's what the power company says)
A decent EV battery holds 20 kWh or more.
Boom. There is my night time storage buffer.
Battery tech and solar is great, but its not the perfect solution.