Guest opinion: Don Archibald: Can solar power actually make a difference? - Boulder Daily Camera

Can solar power actually make a difference?

By Don Archibald

Last September the U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA) announced that the U.S. shipment of solar panel modules rose 34% in 2021. This leap puts solar energy on track to exceed the power generated by wind energy. Climate change advocates, utility companies and homeowners herald this news as a turning point for more renewable energy solutions. But this may not be enough to change our daily dependence on oil and pressure our politicians to authorize climate-positive funding to create powerful and enduring renewable energy solutions.

Changing Americans’ views on climate change has been a long process. The citizens of Boulder County are no strangers to this reality. In 2010, they recognized that they could not achieve their climate change goals without more control over their own power generation. They voted to authorize the city council to spend $1.9 million annually to pursue the creation of a public utility. For the next decade, the city actively engaged with Xcel Energy and the Colorado Public Utility Commission to make the municipal utility a reality. Ultimately the endeavor was not successful, but it demonstrated the importance of aggressively challenging the status quo to bring about positive climate change solutions. It now appears that more U.S. utilities and households are embracing solar energy.

There are several reasons for the 2021 increase in solar panel shipments and installation. One contributing factor is the Biden Administration’s Inflation Reduction Act, which includes large investments in renewable energy and introduces bold measures to control climate change. One of the Act’s provisions increased the solar tax credit to 30% which could spur more Americans to “go solar.”

Another driver of increased demand is the significant decline in the cost of solar panels since 2010. The average price of peak solar per kW has dropped from $1.96 in 2010 to $0.34 in 2021.

Some might believe that the installation of more solar panels would be the answer to solving the U.S. greenhouse gas emission challenges. But solar panel production and installation comes with its own set of challenges. One obvious challenge is that solar energy can only be generated when the sun shines. Batteries have been suggested as one way to capture, store and distribute solar energy. Producing more batteries to support solar arrays means more mining and processing of rare earth minerals compounds, such as lithium. There are enormous environmental consequences to mining lithium and other battery components.

An additional challenge for solar energy is a lack of widespread adoption of solar energy by utilities and households. According to the U.S. Department of Energy, in 2022 only roughly 12% of the energy consumed came from renewable energy. Of the 12% only 4% was achieved with solar energy. Today the largest percentage of energy consumption, 60%, comes from oil, coal and natural gas. For the U.S. to reach its climate change goals, huge investments in more solar arrays or other renewable energy will need to be made.

In the quest to address climate change and greenhouse gas reduction solutions, infrastructure costs are a driving factor in any and every future solution. The Inflation Reduction Act should be considered the first down payment toward climate change infrastructure. If we are going to address climate change through positive actions, Americans will need to have the political will and the monetary stamina to enact further legislation.

Additionally, a major focus of any future administrations should be the overhaul of our energy policies and energy system. We presently have 50 different states, all with their own public utility commission and regulations, which may or may not support the reduction of greenhouse gases.

The millions of dollars Boulder invested to achieve its climate change goals is an excellent example of the commitment it will take to address climate change. Continued investment in climate change solutions is the only way for the U.S. to halt the damage already done. Given our present mindset, incentivizing climate-smart solutions provides a way for us to reach our goals.

It is imperative that we adopt climate-smart habits, sustainable energy production and curb our consumption. Moving forward, every American needs to make individual changes, support climate change legislation and fund climate-positive investments.

Don Archibald is a retired environmental engineer with the National Institute of Standards and Technology. He lives in Boulder.