Founder of paces.com (YC S22) here, our software identities the best places to build their projects and so this topic is very close to my heart! Some quick thoughts:
>We take an all of the above approach and support the siting of all decarbonized energy from solar to nuclear. The renewables vs nuclear arguments is something people working in the industry don't really think much about, as everyone is trying to execute and build as fast as possible across the board.
>Grid capacity followed by permitting/nimbyism are way bigger limitations than land availability for decarbonizing the grid in the US for at least the next decade.
>Rooftop solar and C&I battery storage are going to be a single digit but crucial part of our energy mix as they bypass issues with transmission.
>Offshore wind will be bigger than many think and it bypasses the land use issue.
>I grew up on a sheep farm in Ireland and am a big fan of Agrovoltaics which also help with land use issues when considering livestock.
Why do you think rooftop solar is only going to be single digit? Is it down to the cost/complexity of installation compared to greenfield solar setups?
Instinctively it feels like there is a huge amount of unused roof area in the UK that could be put to good use. But I feel like it might not be as much as I think once direction is taken into account.
I think people underrate how much square footage it is going to take to modernize a grid.
In a southern enough location, a big enough house might be able to generate enough power for itself for a few months out of the year if it doesnt have an electric car to charge.
But take every high rise, office, vehicle, manufacturing facility, etc in a city and single digit percentage seems pretty good.
Agree with this, but also want to mention something not clear in my post, that we are US focused right now, the energy mix is going to vary alot by geography. The UK does not have the land for lots of large scale solar, so their mix is going to be mostly wind, nuclear and rooftop solar might be a higher % as its a more urbanized country compared to the US. But it is unlikely it will be +10% even there.
