Powering the Next Wave of Green Energy Innovation

David Popp, Myriam Grégoire-Zawilski

PLOS Climate, January 2023

David Popp

Public Administration & International Affairs Department

Center for Environmental Policy and Administration

Center for Policy Research

Energy

Natural Resources

United States

PLOS Climate

David Popp

How solar and wind became cheap is a formidable success story. Whether this success can be emulated in other areas of green energy innovation critical for achieving net-zero emission targets is a different question.

During the last two decades, massive innovations changed how energy is generated and used. But many technical challenges remain to scale-up renewables, electrify transportation and decarbonize heavy industry.

Achieving this will place unprecedented pressure on the electrical grid to deliver prodigious amounts of clean energy. To cope with these pressures, further R&D efforts must emphasize technologies to complement renewable energy.