Abstract:
Climate change, pollution, and energy insecurity are among the greatest problems of our time. Addressing
them requires major changes in our energy infrastructure. Here, we analyze the feasibility of providing
worldwide energy for all purposes (electric power, transportation, heating/cooling, etc.) from wind,
water, and sunlight (WWS). In Part I, we discuss WWS energy system characteristics, current and future
energy demand, availability of WWS resources, numbers of WWS devices, and area and material
requirements. In Part II, we address variability, economics, and policy of WWS energy. We estimate that
3,800,000 5 MW wind turbines, 49,000 300 MW concentrated solar plants, 40,000 300 MW solar
PV power plants, 1.7 billion 3 kW rooftop PV systems, 5350 100 MW geothermal power plants, 270
new 1300 MW hydroelectric power plants, 720,000 0.75 MW wave devices, and 490,000 1 MW tidal
turbines can power a 2030 WWS world that uses electricity and electrolytic hydrogen for all purposes.
Such a WWS infrastructure reduces world power demand by 30% and requires only 0.41% and 0.59%
more of the world’s land for footprint and spacing, respectively. We suggest producing all new energy
with WWS by 2030 and replacing the pre-existing energy by 2050. Barriers to the plan are primarily social
and political, not technological or economic. The energy cost in a WWS world should be similar to
that today.
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