What happens when we generate more solar energy than we can use—and why, despite having workable clean-energy technologies, are we still so slow to implement them?

In Part 3 of Powering the Future, Dr. Shelley-Ann John continues her conversation with Dennis German of German Solar about the technologies, public attitudes and institutional decisions shaping the future of renewable energy.

The conversation begins with a fascinating possibility: sand thermal batteries. Dennis explains how surplus solar energy generated during the summer could potentially be stored as heat and used during the winter months—creating what he describes as a form of seasonal solar storage.

But technology is only part of the challenge.

Dennis and Shelley-Ann explore the role of public education, misinformation and deliberate disinformation in shaping attitudes toward solar energy, drawing on Dennis’s experience developing and presenting renewable-energy projects across Southwestern Ontario.

They also examine a question that will become increasingly important as renewable-energy infrastructure matures: What happens to solar panels and batteries at the end of their first useful life?

The discussion explores:

• Sand thermal batteries and seasonal solar-energy storage
• Solar energy in communities with limited grid infrastructure
• Public misconceptions about renewable energy
• Misinformation and disinformation surrounding solar projects
• Solar-panel longevity and recycling
• Reuse and second-life opportunities for solar modules
• Repurposing electric-vehicle batteries for stationary storage
• Circular-economy opportunities in renewable energy
• The difference between supporting sustainability and actually implementing it
• Why capital, governance and institutional decision-making remain critical barriers to the energy transition

The episode ultimately raises a fundamental question:

If the technology increasingly exists, what are we waiting for?

Powering the Future is part of Sustainably Saje’s continuing exploration of the environmental, social and economic dimensions of sustainability—and the difficult transition from aspiration to implementation.

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