The "Energy Gap" Nobody Wants to Tussle With

Many Western states have declared they will achieve all-renewable electrical goals in just two decades. Call me naïve, but haven't energy experts predicted that wind, sun, and other alternative energy sources aren't up to the job?

Alice Jackson, a former CEO of Xcel energy's Colorado operation, was blunt at a renewable energy conference in February 2020: "We can reliably run our grid with up to 70% renewables. Add batteries to the mix and that number goes up to just 72%."

Grid experts now say that Jackson's number is 80%, but still, how will that utility and others produce that missing power?...