Clean Energy Is An Exciting Movement, But To Make it REAL, it takes You and Me. By Julie Peller, Ph.D.

Green Junction

               A major drawback of solar and wind energy is their limited availability at night and when the wind isn’t blowing. However, these clean energy sources often generate more energy than needed when the sun is shining and the wind is blowing, leaving wind turbines idle. Thanks to technological advancements, the excess energy can be effectively stored in batteries. A new report by the Solar Energy Industries Association (SEIA) explains the new era of energy storage, and the United States added a record-breaking amount of energy storage capacity in 2025.

               According to the report, 57.6 gigawatt-hours (GWh) of new energy storage were installed in 2025, bringing total capacity to 137 GWh, with further increases expected in 2026. For comparison, there was less than half a gigawatt of storage a decade ago. The report explains that battery storage capacity will “help lower costs, enhance reliability and boost American energy independence.” However, the organization’s CEO also clarified, “deployment is rising fast, but without a course correction from federal actions targeting the industry, Americans will face higher electricity prices and a less resilient energy system.” 

               A recent Stanford University study predicts that the United States can be powered by renewable energy by 2050 using the existing proven technologies. Grid-connected, large-scale solar facilities are the most efficient and cost-effective providers of solar energy and currently represent the majority of solar power. The study also predicts that renewable energy may not be dependent on battery storage if “wind and solar is blended over large regions.” 

Clean energy is an exciting movement away from dirty fuels that drive climate change. The move to renewables is accelerated by responsible government decisions, but slowed when pollution regulations are removed, fossil-fuel subsidies rise, and renewable energy incentives are eliminated. Clean sources of energy will provide environmental and human health benefits, offer savings for the average U.S. consumer, and “avoid $3.3 trillion in worldwide global warming costs due to U.S. emissions” (Stanford study). 

Julie Peller, Ph.D., is an environmental chemist (Professor of Chemistry at Valparaiso University). She has been writing a weekly column, The Green Junction, for the past seven years and is helping to move the call of Laudato Si to action. Her research interests include advanced oxidation for aqueous solutions, water quality analyses, emerging contaminants, air quality analyses, challenges along the Lake Michigan shoreline (such as Cladophora, water, and sediment contaminants), and student and citizen participation in environmental work.