As the world continues to seek sustainable solutions and the market for renewable energy grows, alternative energy has become a pivotal leading charge. The current problem in the area of green energy, however, is with wind power, which is making it harder to reach previously expected climate goals.
As solar energy grows faster, wind power faces a significant lag due to several challenges.
The primary problems being supply chain delays, rising costs, permitting, and grid issues. With supply chain delays, the main problem is that since wind turbines are often large and need special equipment to move as well as install, it takes more time and adds costs.
Further, the prices of materials required, such as steel, have increased, making wind power much more pricey in general. In countries like the United States, onshore wind costs have increased 40 percent since the year 2021. Finally, wind projects usually take longer to get approved, especially offshore, which inevitably slows down the process.
It is estimated that in 2030, solar power will achieve over 90% of the capacity when it comes to reaching net zero emissions by 2050. With wind energy, however, it is expected to reach a mere 77% of what’s needed. This means that wind installations will be 23% below track according to the 2030 target. This could impact the goal to triple renewable energy around that time.
Where solar energy is soaring to new heights with its innovative technology and groundbreaking releases, wind growth seems to falter. Solar energy is expected to grow by 34% in 2024, as compared to a mere 5% for wind.
Since solar panels are faster with ease of installation on rooftops and small spaces as well, it’s no wonder that the sustainable resource has grown immensely. Despite all these issues, wind power is still generally known to be a more viable source of energy, especially during the winter season. Both forms of renewable energy, solar and wind, are needed to meet the world’s current climate goals.
