Jeff McMahon of Forbes Magazine believes that in the coming future, the technology renewable energy paired with battery storage on a mass scale will make power plants obsolete. He is not the only one who believes so; his opinion is backed by Elon Musk of Tesla Motors and Jim Robo of NextEra Energy, both of whom predict that within the next decade the need for power plants can be overtaken by the “holy grail,” as Robo calls it. Robo spoke to an analyst at a recent conference, predicting that America after 2020 will probably “just be building energy storage instead [of power plants].” If this is what the future holds for the energy industry, a revolution is just over the horizon.

The strongest point of difference that comes along with storing energy from a renewable energy source is a world-changing social benefit: energy will finally  become a clean industry, as it has been envisioned for decades. Thanks to social entrepreneurs who look to preserve the environment of the Earth, this day is imminent. The main reason it will take so long to implement is converting areas of the world (most likely beginning in America) from the power plant based energy system being used now into a mass storage of energy sourced from renewable energy. Global warming is a pressing threat to international security, therefore this is a huge social entrepreneurship opportunity for all stakeholders involved. The only thing standing in the way of this breakthrough in the energy industry is the regulation process. Once sorted out, a new era of energy could be upon us.

References: “Solar + Storage May Be Energy’s Holy Grail, But Will Regulators Aid The Quest?”