Final answer:
Organizations are seeking solutions for the challenges of intermittency and high up-front costs in renewable energy adoption, focusing on battery storage and the overall economic and security benefits. Despite these challenges, the shift towards renewables is encouraged for sustainability and environmental reasons.
Step-by-step explanation:
Challenges and Solutions in the Adoption of Renewable Energy
With the growing adoption of renewable energy sources such as solar and wind power, new challenges have emerged, including the need for increased grid flexibility due to the intermittent nature of these power sources. Many organizations are working on solutions to address the high up-front costs and the issues of intermittency associated with photovoltaic (PV) technology. The intermittency of PV can be mitigated by battery storage, although this solution comes with its own cost and maintenance concerns. In addition to technical solutions, there is an emphasis on the broader economic and security benefits of diverse energy sources, such as job creation and increased resilience in the face of disasters. The sustainability of energy sources is a key factor, with a shift from fossil fuels like coal and gas to renewable energies being encouraged due to lower lifecycle CO₂ emissions and less environmental impact.
However, renewable energies face the issue of not being well-suited for all energy demands, like transportation and industrial heat/processing, due to the dependency on electricity. Furthermore, the significant up-front cost of renewable energy technologies remains a barrier to their widespread adoption despite becoming competitive over the long term when considering the absence of fuel costs. Future improvements in technology and efficiency are expected to continue to promote the economic competitiveness of renewable energy sources.