In accordance with the Paris Agreement, countries worldwide are initiating sweeping large-scale changes to their respective energy grids to cut down on carbon emissions and produce clean energy. The United States, for instance, generated about 20 percent of its total energy from renewable sources in 2020. Moreover, President Joe Biden has an ambitious target to make the US energy sector emissions-free by 2035. Several states, including California, Hawaii, Illinois, and Maine, have already committed to 100 percent carbon-free electricity by 2050.

According to a report conducted by researchers at Harvard University, Syracuse University, and Georgia Institute of Technology, the US could save upward of 317,500 lives through the next three decades if it achieved an 80 percent renewable energy goal by 2030. While this is feasible, there are many common myths about clean energy that detractors use to argue against further adoption. The following are three of those myths debunked.

Myth 1: Renewable Energy Costs More Than Fossil Fuels

"Wind and solar are cost competitive, if not cheaper, than any of the conventional energy carriers these days," notes Pierre Mertiny, principal investigator with the University of Alberta's Future Energy Systems.

Fossil fuels may have been more cost effective during the early part of the 21st century, but advancements in technology have dramatically lowered the cost of all forms of renewable energy in recent years. According to the International Renewable Energy Agency, power generation costs for solar photovoltaics and onshore wind decreased by 82 percent and 39 percent, respectively, from 2010 to 2019.

Power generation costs for renewables are expected to decline further, while fossil fuel prices have continued to increase year-over-year.

Myth 2: Wind Turbines Are Inefficient

A viral social media post, drawn from an incorrectly quoted quote from an anthology edited by Thomas Homer-Dixon, has led many people to believe that wind turbines require more energy to produce than they generate. The post argued that, at best, the energy required for mining and transporting materials to create wind turbines would be offset by the energy they produced within three years at a "good wind site."

While it's true the production of wind turbines requires a substantial amount of energy from coal and iron ore, wind farm sites are carefully chosen to be as efficient as possible. Renewable energy companies often collect data at potential sites for at least two years to determine viability and utilize resources such as digital maps and wind forecasting models.

Myth 3: Clean Energy Doesn't Produce as Many Jobs as Coal and Oil

Detractors of clean energy point to the closure of coal mines and how this has impacted the economies of regions that rely on coal for jobs. They also believe there are fewer jobs in renewable energy, as solar and wind energy, for instance, are self-sustaining. However, the clean energy sector encompasses a wide range of industries and job specialties. Approximately 3 million Americans worked in clean energy in 2020. This was about three times as many people employed in fossil fuel extraction and generation.