Solar power is now the world's most popular electric source

The solar power plant has become the world's favorite plant. Global data shows the capacity of solar panels (photovoltaic solar) installed more than any other electricity generation technologies).

Worldwide, around 73 gigawatts of electricity is generated from solar panels installed in 2016. Wind energy occupies the second position (55 GW), coal is displaced in third place (52 GW), followed by gas (37 GW) and hydropower ( 28 GW).

At the same time, solar panel and wind represent 5.5% of the current electricity generation) (at least until the end of 2016). But most importantly, the generating capacity of the entire installed worldwide over the past year nearly half are the two types of power generation technology.

There is the possibility of the construction of coal-fired power plants will be decreased, and perhaps quickly, because almost everywhere a solar panel and wind now the price is competitive.

Water power is still important in the developing world who still has rivers to dam. Meanwhile, low-emission technologies such as nuclear, bioenergy, solar thermal and geothermal have a small market share.

Solar panels and wind currently have such great advantages in terms of costs, the scale of production and supply chains. Therefore, it is difficult to see low emission technology could rival the technology panel heaven and wind in the next decade.

This is obviously the occurred in Australia, where solar panels and wind power generation capacity include almost all new.

In the land of kangaroos, the solar cell capacity set reaches 12 GW in 2020). Wind power and the solar cell were installed as an energy source mix about 3 GW per year), driven largely by the renewable energy Target (RET)) the Federal Government of Australia.

This amount is twice to three times in the last few years. And now growing again after several years of activity constrained because of political uncertainty over the RET.

If this rate is maintained, then at 2030 more than half of Australia's electricity will come from renewable energy. This means that Australia would meet its promises based on a climate deal Paris) through savings in emissions in the electrical industry.

To reinforce this notion further, if Australia doubles a level installation of combined solar and wind power is currently a 6 GW per year, then it will achieve 100% renewable electricity at around 2033. Modeling by my research shows that this would not be difficult to achieve, given the technology now is cheaper than electricity generated from new power plants burning coal and gas.

Affordable renewable future

Recipe for 100% renewable electricity network that can be achieved, stable, and affordable it relatively easy:

Use the majority of solar panels and wind power. This technology is more expensive than other low-emission technologies, and Australia has plenty of Sun and wind. That is why this technology has been widely used.

This means that, compared with other renewable energy, both have a price projection of more reliable, and avoid the need for a heroic assumption about the success of clean energy options that are more speculative.

Distributed power generation in a very wide area. The spread of wind power facilities and solar cells in a wide area-for example one million square kilometers from Northern Queensland to Tasmania – allows access to a variety of different weather. It also helped launch the provision of electricity at the time of peak hour demand.

Wake up to the interconnection. Connect the solar cells and wind chain with a high-voltage cable which is already used to move electricity among countries.

Add energy storage. Storage can help customize a pattern generating energy demand. The cheapest option is pumped hydro energy storage (PHES), with battery support and management requests. Australia currently has three systems of PHES – Tumut 3, Kangaroo Valley, and Wivenhoe – all of which are in the river. But there are a large number of potential locations outside the river.

In a project) funded by the Australian Renewable Energy Agency, we have identified approximately 5,000 locations) in South Australia, Queensland, Tasmania, Canberra, Alice Springs, and the district are potentially suitable for storage pumped hydro energy.

Potential locations for storage of pumped hydro energy in Queensland, in addition to the development location for solar panels (yellow) and wind energy (green). Coal Galilee Basin is shown in black. Andrew Blakers/Margaret Blakers, Author provided

Each location has between 7 and 1,000 times the Tesla battery storage potential that currently are installed to support the South Australia electricity network.) What's more, pumped Hydro has aged 50 years, appeals with a battery life of just 8-15 years.

That is important, most prospective PHES location is located near the settlement and near the location of solar panels and wind power new being built.

After searching for locations in New South Wales, Victoria, Western Australia and completed, we hope to find potential energy storage PHES 70-100 times more than needed to support a network of 100% renewable electricity in Australia.)

Location up potential reservoirs for hydro energy storage to the East of Port Augusta, South Australia. The lower reservoir would be at the foot of the Western Hills (bottom picture). Google Earth/ANU

Managing the electrical network

Generators of fossil fuels currently provide other services to the electricity network, in addition to only generate electricity. They help balance supply and demand, in the span of time until seconds, through the "energy of inertia" stored in their generators.

But ahead of this service can be done by similar generators used on pumped-hydro systems. Supply and demand of electricity can also be adjusted with the aid of a battery quick response, management of requests, and "synthetic inertia" from solar cells and wind power.

Wind power and solar cells are an increasingly hard competition show to gas in the entire energy market. The price of large-scale wind and solar cells in 2016 is A $65-78 per megawatt hour). This price is below the current wholesale price of electricity) on the National Electricity Market.

This abundant anecdotal evidence indicates that the price of wind energy and solar cells has dropped to between A $60 (around Rp 641.000) and A $70 per MWh this year because the industry is growing rapidly. Prices are likely to fall below A $50 per MWh in a few years, to fit with the current international benchmark prices. Thus, the net cost to switch to 100% renewable electricity systems for the past 15 years into the future was zero compared to continue building and maintaining facilities for fossil-fueled systems at this time.

Gas can no longer compete with wind and solar cells for electricity delivery. Electric heat pump drives the gas out of the water and the heating of the room. Even for high-temperature heat delivery to industry, gas prices should be less than A $10 per gigajoule to compete with electric generators are powered by solar cells and wind power at a cost of A $50 per MWh.

That is important, the more solar panels and wind power is sold in an inexpensive environment of high costs at the moment, the more they will lower prices.

Then there is the issue of other types of energy use besides electricity - such as transportation, heating, and industry. The cheapest way to make this green energy source is to electrify everything, and then connect it to the electricity grid supported by renewable energy.

The reduction of greenhouse gas emissions of Australia 55% can be achieved by changing the electricity network into renewable energy, in conjunction with the massive adoption of electric vehicles for ground transportation and electric heat pumps for heating and cooling.

Beyond this, we can develop a renewable electricity-based pathway for producing hydrocarbon-based fuels and chemicals, especially through the electrolysis of water to get the hydrogen and carbon from the atmosphere. This step is to achieve a reduction in emissions by 83% (with the remaining 17% emissions mainly come from agriculture and the opening of the land).

According to the initial estimate of my research group, doing all this means tripling the amount of electricity that can be generated.

But there is no shortage of solar and wind energy to accomplish this, and the price of electricity any sooner. We can build the future of clean energy at a low cost if we want to.