Myth-busting: Common myths about renewable energy

In the world of fake news, in many fast-growing industries, it is often quite difficult to separate fact from fiction. The renewable energy space is not an exception. In this blog, we have taken a look at some of the biggest renewable energy myths and scoped out the truth.

Myth 1: You can only produce solar energy on a sunny day

While it may be difficult to believe at first, as long as the surface is kept clean and clear, solar panels can work efficiently in snowy, cold or cloudy weather conditions. That’s because they don’t need heat or a certain temperature to generate energy – they use photovoltaic technology to convert sunlight, the radiation from the sun, directly into electricity. Even in snowy climates, solar panels can be installed at a certain angle to help the snow slide down when it accumulates, helping it to continue to generate energy!

Myth 2: Wind turbines are unreliable. What do you do when there is no wind?

While it is true that a wind farm doesn’t generate energy 24/7, current examples show that offshore sites can generate around 4,000 full-load hours per year and are performing at full capacity nearly 50% of the time. When combined with other renewables and a smart grid, wind power can be very reliable – plus, it’s the cheapest on the market and emits zero carbon.

One surefire way to squeeze even more value from a wind farm is to invest in a renewable energy storage solution, which allows the power generated from wind to be used on-demand, whenever it’s needed.

Myth 3: We can’t run the world on renewables

Actually, we can. According to many researchers, a world powered entirely by renewables is not unreasonable at all. In fact, a recent report has claimed that solar and wind energy could replace fossil fuels entirely to become the world’s power source by 2050. The report has also predicted that if wind and solar power continued on their current growth trajectory, they would push fossil fuels out of the electricity sector by the mid-2030s.

So, theoretically, it is doable – the technology exists and can be scaled. However, achieving net-zero emissions by 2050 will require nothing short of the complete transformation of the global energy system. The biggest hurdles standing in our way to switching to renewables are economic and political.

Myth 4: The larger the battery storage, the better

This isn’t always the case. If you are producing renewable energy at home, installing a battery solution could help you advance the benefits created by solar power even further. It enables you to store surplus green energy and use it when needed or send it back to the grid, allowing you to make significant savings on your energy bills. With that said, to maximise its benefits, it’s important to match the size of the battery to your home energy usage and profile. For instance, our range of Moixa Optimised Batteries come in three different sizes – 4.8kWh, 7.2kWh and 9.6kWh. Having a bigger battery isn’t always better – you need to consider what’s best for your household and we can help you make the right decision.