A Precarious Portfolio: Assessing Trends in Emerging Generation Technologies

Over the past two years, the percentage of electricity generated from renewable sources globally has approached the double-digits. The majority of new installations are for wind and photovoltaic technology, which through scale, subsidy, and savvy are becoming cost competitive with conventional generation sources. However, wind and solar have limitations due to their intermittent generation profiles – limitations that can be alleviated by complementary profiles from other technologies. In this report, we look at the innovation landscape and momentum for a variety of other generation technologies including: next-generation photovoltaics, aerial wind energy, marine energy, enhance geothermal, fuel cells, and novel nuclear systems. We find varied momentum and opportunities among these technologies, with some seeing more activity than incumbent wind and solar.