Thread by @drvolts

Just to clear this up once & for all: the people who work on & with renewable energy are aware that it is variable.

There are lots & lots of interesting discussions to be had about the variability of renewable energy & how to accommodate it & ensure reliability. None of them begin with the assumption that your interlocutor doesn't know the sun goes down.

Tools to accommodate variability in a net-zero⚡️system:
* short-term storage
* long-term storage
* hydrogen & hydrogen-derived fuels
* biogas & other biofuels
* (natgas or biomass) + CCS
* nuclear (existing &/or advanced)
* hydro
* geothermal
* demand-side (see next tweet)

"Demand side" is not one thing -- there zillions of ways to move, shape, or reduce demand.
* virtual power plants & other demand aggregation
* better design, more reuse, closed-loop recycling
* better building envelopes
* denser housing
* reduced consumption
* eating the rich

Two things are true. One, no one knows exactly what cocktail of all these techs & strategies will end up compensating for variability in a net-0 system. It depends on policy evolution, science & tech innovation, larger economic & demographic trends, social change, etc.

Two, there's every reason to be confident we can do it. There are more tools in the toolbox every day. And the cheaper wind & solar get, the easier the task becomes -- & they're getting cheaper faster than anyone dreamed. Variability is not a barrier to a RE-based net-0 system.

Fully aware of the futility of my words, I say to all internet dudes: please learn a little bit about all the foregoing before you stomp into online discussions shouting glib, meme-level refutations of renewable energy. The truth is quite rich & fascinating if you take the time!