The
energy transition now underway from fossil fuels to clean, renewable sources like wind and solar has become more urgent than ever because of a new driver unrelated to
climate change:
unpredictable energy prices. Fossil fuels are no longer a reliable source of low-cost energy, because of geopolitical tensions that are not easily contained. Nearly half of Americans surveyed
in a recent poll said they “worry a great deal” about energy costs, up from one third the year before. In Europe,
one in five people said they are drawing from their savings to meet their energy bills. While the term “energy poverty” used to refer to people who lacked access to energy, it is now taking on a new meaning. Thanks to advances in technology, the generation cost of renewable energy has fallen by 70% since 2010. But these cost savings are sometimes difficult to immediately pass on to families and other end users and the technology itself, such as solar panels, is not easily accessible to individual homeowners.