Wind and Solar Energy Picking Up Steam

If there's one thing the Internet of Things (IoT) has taught us, it's that the future will be reliant on new streams of energy to keep up with our ever expanding reliance on internet-ready smartphones, computers, devices, and so on.  The good news is, global solar and wind power generation is on the rise, with new funding outpacing that of nuclear and fossil fuels by a 2 to 1 margin. 

According to a recent article in the Wall St. Journal, "In 2016, the latest year for which data is available, about $297 billion was spent on renewables—more than twice the $143 billion spent on new nuclear, coal, gas and fuel oil power plants, according to the IEA. The Paris-based organization projects renewables will make up 56% of net generating capacity added through 2025...

Sustained government support in Europe and other developed economies spurred the development of renewable energy. But costs have fallen for other reasons. China invested heavily in a domestic solar-manufacturing industry, creating a glut of inexpensive solar panels. Innovation helped manufacturers build longer wind-turbine blades, creating machines able to generate substantially more power at a lower cost."