The Future of Low-Carbon Power: From Intermittent to Indispensable

The world is rapidly consuming more electricity as a path to decarbonization. Yet, at the same time, the grid is decarbonizing on the back of wind and solar, which are the cheapest ways to make electricity (on a levelized-cost-of-electricity basis) in most regions of the world. Today, we’re now seeing the impacts of adding large amounts of intermittent and variable renewables that lack the inertia and dispatchability of conventional power plants, shifting the focus of innovation teams to seek out firm, dispatchable power sources. In Lux’s Innovation Radar, novel nuclear power, carbon capture, fuel cells, and geothermal all score higher than innovations in novel photovoltaics or wind power.  

In this webinar, Lux Research will share its latest insights on understanding the cost comparison between technologies providing firm low-carbon power. Specifically, we will address questions including: 

• To what extent can storage firm up power from intermittent and variable sources like wind and solar to provide around-the-clock power? 

• Does the added cost of firming up intermittent power exceed the costs of alternative sources like nuclear or geothermal? 

• Is there an opportunity for carbon capture?