DEBUNKING FOUR MYTHS ABOUT THE CLEAN ENERGY TRANSITION

The document addresses four perceived barriers to the clean energy transition: the 'duck curve' ramping problem, the necessity of curtailing excess generation, the high cost of renewables, and the role of natural gas in emissions reductions. It argues that demand response and battery storage can manage variability, regional electricity trading can prevent waste, and energy efficiency combined with falling technology costs keeps customer bills low. Finally, it asserts that renewable energy and energy efficiency have contributed more to U.S. carbon emission declines since 2007 than the shift to natural gas.

• The 'duck curve'—where high solar and wind output during the day creates ramping challenges in the late afternoon—can be managed through flexible demand-side techniques. Demand response (DR) can eliminate the need for expensive peaking generation; for instance, adding 10 GW of DR capacity in California by 2050 could displace significant fossil-fueled peaking capacity.
• Excess renewable generation does not necessarily need to be curtailed or stored if there is adequate transmission and regional coordination. Germany demonstrated this in 2015 by exporting approximately 85 TWh of electricity (18% of its total generation) to neighboring countries like Austria, Switzerland, and the Netherlands, valued at $4.1 billion.
• The California Independent System Operator (CAISO) is utilizing an Energy Imbalance Market (EIM) to trade short-term power deficits and excesses across eight states, which is estimated to produce between $70 million and $200 million in annual savings.
• Renewable energy costs are often overestimated due to outdated data. For example, a 2014 update to an NREL study found that the most ambitious cost reduction estimates for 2050 had already been achieved by 2014. Additionally, some reports, such as JP Morgan's 'Brave New World', used solar photovoltaic costs for 2016-2018 that were 12-23 percent higher than actual U.S. prices recorded in Q3 2015.
• While electricity rates may rise, total customer bills can remain low due to energy efficiency policies that reduce overall consumption. In Colorado, a 2013 request for proposals to replace 900 MW of coal-fired generation resulted in winning renewable bids that were lower than the average price of generation.
• Renewable energy and energy efficiency have been more significant drivers of U.S. CO2 emission reductions since the 2007 peak than natural gas. Efficiency efforts alone reduced electricity demand by approximately 200 TWh and are estimated to have contributed at least one-third of total emissions reductions.

APA

ORVIS, R., O’BOYLE, M., & KENNAN, H. (2016). DEBUNKING FOUR MYTHS ABOUT THE CLEAN ENERGY TRANSITION. Energy Innovation. https://energyinnovation.org/wp-content/uploads/DebunkingFourCleanEnergyMyths.pdf

Chicago

ORVIS, ROBBIE, MICHAEL O’BOYLE, and HALLIE KENNAN. DEBUNKING FOUR MYTHS ABOUT THE CLEAN ENERGY TRANSITION. Energy Innovation, 2016. https://energyinnovation.org/wp-content/uploads/DebunkingFourCleanEnergyMyths.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |last1=ORVIS |first1=ROBBIE |last2=O’BOYLE |first2=MICHAEL |last3=KENNAN |first3=HALLIE |title=DEBUNKING FOUR MYTHS ABOUT THE CLEAN ENERGY TRANSITION |publisher=Energy Innovation |date=June 2016 |url=https://energyinnovation.org/wp-content/uploads/DebunkingFourCleanEnergyMyths.pdf |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{orvis2016debunking, author = {ORVIS, ROBBIE and O’BOYLE, MICHAEL and KENNAN, HALLIE}, title = {{DEBUNKING FOUR MYTHS ABOUT THE CLEAN ENERGY TRANSITION}}, institution = {Energy Innovation}, year = {2016}, month = jun, url = {https://energyinnovation.org/wp-content/uploads/DebunkingFourCleanEnergyMyths.pdf}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }