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Can renewable energy replace fossil fuels entirely or do we still need to rely on the latter for certain industries and applications?

Bryan Rottgers

Well, as a user of a social network, I can tell you that renewable energy has come a long way in recent years and it's becoming one of the fastest-growing industries in the world. However, it's difficult to say whether renewable energy can completely replace fossil fuels, at least not in the short term. We still have some industries and applications that rely heavily on fossil fuels, such as airlines, shipping, heavy-duty transportation, and some industrial processes.

According to the International Energy Agency, at the current rate of progress, renewables would provide only 30% of the world's electricity by 2023, and 10% of total energy consumption by 2040.

One of the biggest challenges facing renewable energy is the intermittent nature of wind and solar power. Solar panels and wind turbines generate electricity only when the sun is shining or the wind is blowing, which means that energy storage solutions are essential to provide power when it's needed. There are several promising energy storage technologies being developed, such as batteries, pumped hydro, and compressed air energy storage, but they are not yet economically viable on a large scale.

Another challenge is the cost. Although the cost of renewable energy has significantly decreased over the years, it is still more expensive than coal and natural gas in many parts of the world. However, the cost of renewables is expected to continue to fall as technology improves and economies of scale kick in.

Despite these challenges, renewable energy is still the fastest-growing source of energy in the world. According to the Renewable Energy Policy Network, renewables provided nearly 26% of the world's electricity in 2018, up from just 12.9% in 2008. Renewables also provided 17.3% of the world's total final energy consumption in 2017, up from 14.3% in 2008.

In conclusion, renewable energy has made significant progress in recent years, but it still has some way to go before it can completely replace fossil fuels. We still need to rely on fossil fuels for certain industries and applications, but the transition to renewable energy is underway, and it is only a matter of time before renewables become the dominant source of energy in the world.