{"text":[[{"start":9.33,"text":"The world is adding renewable energy capacity at record speed. "},{"start":13.134,"text":"Solar farms are sprouting up in the deserts of Arizona, wind turbines are swirling along North Sea coastlines, and hydroelectric plants are being etched into European mountainsides. "},{"start":22.777,"text":"Billion-dollar green policy packages — including the US Inflation Reduction Act and the EU’s “REPowerEU” strategy — are propelling the boom. "},{"start":30.432000000000002,"text":"Global investment in renewable power last year surpassed $700bn, over double the amount in 2015. "},{"start":36.974,"text":"For all the progress, though, there is a major snag: too much of it is going to waste. "}],[{"start":42.93,"text":"Green energy generation is intermittent. "},{"start":45.472,"text":"Solar panels need sunny days. "},{"start":47.614,"text":"Wind turbines thrive on gusts. "},{"start":49.782,"text":"That means when they are generating electricity it is all the more important that it is fed into the grid for use, or stored away. "},{"start":55.912,"text":"Grid and storage capacity has, however, fallen behind the growth in renewable energy sources across the world, as a report from the International Energy Agency will reveal on Wednesday. "}],[{"start":66.93,"text":"As a result, significant volumes of green energy capacity are being held back. "},{"start":71.72200000000001,"text":"In America, close to 2,500GW of renewably sourced electricity was waiting to be connected to the grid last year, according to the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory. "}],[{"start":82.19000000000001,"text":"In some cases, governments have had to pay renewables companies not to generate electricity, at taxpayers’ expense, to avoid clogging up the network. "},{"start":90.86900000000001,"text":"Supplies that have nowhere to go also push down prices and act as a disincentive for future green investment. "},{"start":96.56200000000001,"text":"In Europe, power prices have fallen below zero for a record number of hours this year. "},{"start":101.49200000000002,"text":"Above all, troubles with the grid make it harder to cut reliance on burning more reliable, yet high-polluting, fossil fuels to meet energy demands. "}],[{"start":110.46000000000001,"text":"What needs to be done? "},{"start":112.21400000000001,"text":"The obvious answer is for governments to support the development of the grid. "},{"start":115.96900000000001,"text":"The pylons and cables that shift electricity from new plants to households and businesses have become the forgotten, less sexy, part of the green transition. "},{"start":124.11200000000001,"text":"Grid upgrades need to dovetail with renewable investments. "},{"start":127.292,"text":"Regulation needs streamlining, too. "},{"start":129.859,"text":"Arduous planning processes and Nimbyism regularly impede grid development. "},{"start":134.014,"text":"Wind energy projects in Europe can sometimes face waits of up to nine years to receive a grid permit. "}],[{"start":139.82,"text":"But better storage capacity is the other piece of the puzzle. "},{"start":143.262,"text":"Pumped storage hydro projects — like those around Loch Ness in Scotland — use surplus electricity to pump water up to reservoirs, which act as a cache. "},{"start":151.742,"text":"This relies on steep topography, however. "},{"start":154.73399999999998,"text":"Elsewhere, grid-scale storage is essential. "},{"start":157.62699999999998,"text":"Private investors are quickly moving into storage research and development. "},{"start":161.457,"text":"But policymakers have an important role. "},{"start":163.92399999999998,"text":"California, for instance, has become a leader in battery storage through a combination of incentives for homeowners to install batteries and mandates for utility companies and builders. "},{"start":173.22899999999998,"text":"International co-operation to strengthen supplies of critical minerals used in storage technologies also remains key. "}],[{"start":180.59,"text":"Grids need to be better managed too. "},{"start":182.994,"text":"Digital technology, sensors and software can help monitor and match energy supply and demand. "},{"start":188.462,"text":"And better connectivity would support efficiency. "},{"start":191.192,"text":"For instance, the lack of integration across the EU’s energy network means it cannot quickly shift renewably sourced electricity from production areas to regions of high demand. "}],[{"start":201.16,"text":"Despite progress in the green transition, global temperature goals are still on a knife-edge. "},{"start":206.402,"text":"Rising populations, economic growth and artificial intelligence will add to energy demands. "},{"start":211.54399999999998,"text":"Further efforts to build green energy capacity are needed. "},{"start":214.774,"text":"But it must come with the investment and regulatory reform needed to develop bigger, stronger and smarter networks, and storage capacity. "},{"start":222.079,"text":"Otherwise, much of the world’s renewable energy potential will remain untapped. "}],[{"start":226.42,"text":""}]],"url":"https://creatives.ftmailbox.cn/album/174904-1728443979.mp3"}