Winter is coming, and it could add even more pressure on the world, which is already grappling with an ongoing energy crisis. Some analysts and officials believe renewable energy could help ease energy pains, but their models may be short-sighted. Energy models don’t take into account the way wind turbines and solar panels perform in “real life.” We usually don’t think about the wonderful service fossil fuels provide in terms of being a store of heat energy for winter, the time when there is a greater need for heat energy. Figure 1 shows dramatically how, in the US, the residential usage of heating fuels spikes during the winter months. Figure 1. US residential use of energy, based on EIA data. The category “Natural Gas, […]