About the Renewable Energy “Boom”

A commenter notes about the green energy “boom,” The kind of reckless, overly optimistic, excessive spending that typifies a “boom” has largely dissipated, as new (sic) technologies mature.

No one ever knowing participates in “reckless, overly optimistic, excessive spending.” That said, it’s not completely unavoidable at the onset of any disruptive movement in commerce. Things like renewable energy, EVs, energy storage, and smart-grid are not immune from the excitement (and profit motive) that naturally accompanies anything as large as a revolution (or even an evolution) in something like the entire energy and transportation industry.

Having said that, you’re largely correct in that technologies like solar PV, wind, and battery energy storage are maturing to the point that competitive modes of generating and storing energy are under an enormous amount of pressure if they are to survive as anything more than niche applications in parts of the world with very unusual conditions. As an example, I used to enjoy the Ocean Energy Expo every summer, held in some really cool part of the country (see pic above, where the last one was scheduled). Guess what? It no longer exists.

At the same time, Intersolar and Solar Power International now occupy a few million square feet apiece. When I first started in this industry; they could have been held in my living room.