The use of fossil fuels constitutes our greatest source of air pollution and causes most of the anthropogenic greenhouse gas production. Over the past two decades many of the technologies needed for a sustainable energy economy have evolved considerably, and are at the brink of large-scale commercialization. Renewable technologies such as wind and solar have proven to be technically viable sources of power. Wind power production costs are competitive with conventional sources, while solar power is expected to be competitive within a decade. There are certain markets where the value of electricity is several times higher than the electricity price in large power grid markets.
Many regions have abundant, quality wind resources.
These high-value power markets are where renewable technologies are making their commercial entry. An application of renewable power DRI is pursuing is in remote regions, where intermittent renewable power systems integrated with adequate energy storage will provide a steady supply of electricity to a community, and be competitive with fossil power alternatives. The energy storage component will provide power to the load when the renewable source is quiescent. Where compressed air and pumped hydroelectric are not practical, the hydrogen systems show the most promise. The components necessary to demonstrate a renewable hydrogen power system for a remote community are available, but have yet to be integrated in this way.