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(CNN) -
As climate change fuels more extreme weather events and environmental catastrophes like last weekend's oil spill threaten wildlife and human health, more and more people are turning to clean, free energy. of carbon to accelerate the world's transition away from fossil fuels and usher in a zero-emission future.
Ending the planet's dependence on fossil fuels is critical to curbing the climate crisis, but Vijay Modi, Professor of Mechanical Engineering at Columbia University, says there are still hurdles to overcome before we can fully transition to fossil fuels. renewable energy: energy storage, public acceptance of transmission lines and the adoption of electric vehicles and alternative heating systems for homes.
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"Once the population begins to understand that it is possible (to live) without fossil fuels, it will be easier because then they will demand that local constituencies or local bodies push for cleaner sources," Modi told CNN.
"I personally believe that with the low cost of solar and wind power, the vast land area in the United States, and some good government policies, this transition can come quickly."
CNN spoke with energy transition experts about the most reliable sources of energy and the challenges they face in replacing coal, oil and gas and curbing the climate crisis.
Solar
Stanton Solar Farm outside of Orlando, Florida.
Humans have used solar energy since the 7th century BC, when they used sunlight and glass to light fires.
But the modern solar cell wasn't invented until the middle of the 20th century.
Unlike fossil fuels, solar energy systems do not emit greenhouse gases or pollutants into the air, making solar energy one of the best potential solutions to the climate crisis.
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Modi said that in the United States, solar power could dominate the electricity grid in just 10 years.
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In September, a report from the Department of Energy (DOE) outlined a path that would exponentially increase the use of solar energy in the country, in which the Sun would be the source of almost half of the electricity. .
To achieve 40% solar electricity by 2035, the DOE says the United States would have to install 30 gigawatts of new solar capacity each year for the next four years - enough to power about three million homes, depending on their location. location - and double that number every year through 2030.
According to K. Max Zhang, an engineer and director of the Atkinson Center for Sustainability at Cornell University, the United States has more than enough land to support the deployment of solar energy, which would also create jobs.
"If you have enough land for a solar farm, you are going to have to build solar panels," Zhang told CNN when discussing the economic benefits.
"And to build them, you have to manufacture them, and to have those structures assembled, you are going to need labor to install them."
Wind
Wind turbines in Palm Springs, California.
Like solar power, wind power could also increase in the next 10 years, Modi said.
According to the Energy Information Administration, the generation of wind electricity in the country has grown considerably in the last three decades, going from about 6,000 million kilowatt hours per year in 2000 to about 338,000 million in 2020.
Wind energy is generated with turbines.
The wind drives the turbine blades, which are attached to a drive shaft that turns an electrical generator that produces electricity.
As with solar power, Modi and Zhang said the United States has enough land to build wind farms.
And there is a large area offshore with great wind potential.
"If we look from Maine to New Hampshire, Massachusetts, Connecticut, New York, New Jersey, we have a really incredible offshore wind resource, which is a very high quality resource in this part of the country," Modi said.
"The good news about the United States is that we have been blessed with two things," he added.
"We are blessed with earth, and we are blessed with good wind and sunshine."
Geothermal
Geothermal power plant in Salton Sea, California.
Geothermal energy takes advantage of underground heat.
It is a renewable energy source that is produced continuously.
Today, people use geothermal heat to bathe, heat buildings in winter, and generate electricity.
Iceland has been a pioneer in the use of geothermal energy, because it has an abundant source of hot and accessible groundwater that can be converted into energy.
In the United States, Modi said the challenge is finding the exact locations of where these geothermal points are and how close to the surface the magma and hot temperatures are.
"The question we're all trying to answer is can we use the same kind of drilling techniques that the oil and gas industry uses to get a little bit deeper," he said.
"Then we can exploit that deeper source. If we succeed, the advantage is that we could get continuous heat throughout the year. From that heat, we could create a distribution of hot water pipes."
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But there are risks.
Extracting geothermal energy has been linked to causing earthquakes, according to research, an area for which geophysicists are looking for solutions.
According to a recent report by the International Energy Agency (IEA), the contribution of geothermal energy to the energy capacities of the United States is less than 1%, but the potential is more than 8% by 2050.
Nuclear energy
Palo Verde Nuclear Power Plant in Wintersburg, Arizona.
Just as public opinion on the climate crisis has evolved, so have visions about the transition to clean energy.
The use of nuclear energy in particular has been contentious in the United States.
"The distinction between 100% renewable and 100% clean is seen in nuclear (power)," Zhang said.
"Nuclear is not renewable, but it is in the mix of clean electricity," he explained.
Many Republicans favor nuclear power over all other non-fossil sources, while some non-Republican lawmakers, such as independent Bernie Sanders and Democrat Elizabeth Warren, have called for nuclear power to be phased out.
"We are not going to build any nuclear power plants and we are going to start moving away from nuclear power and replacing it with renewable fuels," Warren said during a CNN forum on the climate crisis in 2019.
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According to the IEA, nuclear power plants have generated about 20% of the country's electricity since 1990. As of December 2020, there were 94 nuclear reactors operating in 56 plants in 28 states, making the United States the largest energy producer nuclear in the world.
Despite their ability to replace fossil fuels, many are concerned about the well-known problems associated with nuclear power generation, including radioactive waste that, if not disposed of properly, is harmful to the environment and communities.
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The problem with hydropower
Water from the Niagara River passes through a hydroelectric dam in Lewiston, New York.
Hydropower is one of the oldest energy sources used for generating electricity.
Until 2019, according to the IEA, it was the largest source of annual renewable energy generation in the United States.
The only reason the country's dependence on hydropower decreased over time is because interest in other sources increased.
Although experts project that hydroelectric power will continue to be used, Modi said he does not see an increase in the near future because the best sites for generating this energy have already been used.
"We have already exploited good sources of hydroelectric power in the United States," he said.
Additionally, the climate crisis is fueling a drought that is draining reserves in the west and fueling water shortages.
In California, a hydroelectric power plant was forced to close this summer for the first time since it opened in 1967 because of low water levels.
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Renewable energy