Consumers are making the move to renewable energy, however, there is still a lot of dependence on fossil fuels. Take the poll and in the Comments section, let us know what you think can be done to make the shift to renewable energy easier.
Yes, scalability would be an issue in some larger buildings like apartment blocks. For homes though, I like the idea of having a 48V PoE as a backbone. It may not be perfect but it could be a workable solution. This will make setting up connected (smart home) devices so much easier for the not-so-smart end user.
Maybe Single Pair Ethernet (SPE) with POE (not sure if this is actually viable) could also lower cost of cabling.
Probably another issue is that no matter how efficient and lower-cost renewable energy becomes, if energy usage always rises, then it's hard for the technology improvements and supplies to keep up, meaning that traditional energy sources continue to be needed, too. The UK has an intriguing solution to this: let manufacturing decline. It might destroy jobs and push costs up, but it will reduce energy usage to an extent! : )
Also, governments' easiest tools to make people introduce changes to reduce energy waste or to use other energy sources is sadly allowing prices to rise massively. Of all electricity generation, a tiny figure is useful. The rest is wasted in creating and distributing it. But, even if continual improvements are made, it will only delay the point at which more capability is required. So consumption (and waste at the consumption end, whether industrial or residential or otherwise) is super important, too.
From my analysis of the situation, renewable energy has a place within the energy space, but is not yet ready to supplant traditional sources of energy.
The debacle in Texas a couple of years ago aptly exposed the current weakness of the renewable capability.
People died because the Texas grid did not have emergency power generation capability and the glaring fact that Texas did not have a compatible grid with any of their neighbors.
These glaring errors were very predictable given their lack of risk analysis and adequate backup capability.
You have to understand that it takes time to mature a new technology so that it can supply reliable energy.
I have faith that renewable energy will eventually get to a level of maturity where it can indeed supplant the fossil fuel sources, but we are talking decades, not a few years.
A lot of people are pushing this technology into production, and it is just not ready to deliver on its promises.
Please lower your expectations, there are no immediate miracles.
Everybody just stop, take a deep breath, and then use some common sense.
It was decades before coal generated power was reliable enough to build out a power grid and it took decades before everyone who wanted power had access.
Fifty years ago, I knew a local family who had still not connected to the power grid, even though it had been available to them for decades.
So stop trying to put this horse into the race too quickly.
We will get there eventually, patience is required.
People are blaming fossil fuels for an issue that they are not guilty.
Humans are predictable animals, they continue to use what is cheapest until it becomes too expensive.
Renewable energy is significantly more expensive than currently used fossil fuels.
Most systems that use fossil fuels can change to use hydrogen, which is relatively easy to obtain.
All of the infrastructure for fossil fuels is adaptable for hydrogen use.
Therefore, the logical and most cost effective way forward is to begin integrating hydrogen as a fuel in combination with renewable energy sources.
That solution enables the world to take advantage of existing investments and keep energy costs to a reasonable level while maintaining reliable energy.
