Week 30: Energy

"For everything you gain, you lose something else."

Soon after the invention of electricity, much of the world's energy has been supplied by natural gas, oil, and coal. But as technology advances, new advances in energy production and energy storage has arisen. In this week's Tuesday Fix, we will explore how solar energy affects energy supply curves, the future of energy storage, and possibilities within nuclear energy!

1. The 'duck curve': "Renewables require change in the energy supply chain. Electricity is incredibly difficult to store, so grid operators have to generate it at the exact moment it is demanded. In order to do this, they create incredibly accurate models of the total electric loads, that is how much energy will be consumed on a given day. But as utilities started to produce more energy from renewable sources like solar, the models started to shift as well."

Watch The 'duck curve' is solar energy's greatest challenge by Vox

2. The Future Of Energy Storage Beyond Lithium Ion: "Over the past decade, prices for solar panels and wind farms have reached all-time lows. However, the price for lithium ion batteries, the leading energy storage technology, has remained too high. So researchers are exploring other alternatives, including flow batteries, thermal batteries, and gravity-based systems."

Watch The Future Of Energy Storage Beyond Lithium Ion by CNBC

3. Is Nuclear Fusion The Answer To Clean Energy?: "Nuclear power has a controversial history, but many energy experts say it has a major role to play in our energy future. Some in the industry are working to make standard fission power safer and cheaper. Others are pursuing the holy grail of energy - nuclear fusion, the process that powers the sun and the stars. If we figure out how to harness that power here on earth, it would be a huge game-changer."

Watch Is Nuclear Fusion The Answer To Clean Energy? by CNBC

Call to Action! Going forward, get to know where your energy is coming from in your area. There are multiple ways to get involved on conserving energy, and getting involved in helping yourself or community in diversifying its energy sources.

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