SPONGE ENERGY

The amount of solar energy hitting the earth exceeds our consumption by a factor of over 20,000 times. Capturing this energy is now economical, but few experts believe it will become the the primary energy source on the electric grid... Utilities try to make solar fit their existing markets and infrastructure, still dominated by fossil fuels. They balance the grid by ramping up and down the least efficient generators. The more variable sources (like wind and solar) come online, the more they need ramping generators or expensive batteries.