Similarly, battery storage won't happen. At least, not in the "power is basically free thanks to solar" dream of the 70s.
The problem with solar is not technical (although we've not yet solved the technical challenges, which are considerable) but financial/economical.
Let's assume all the physics are sorted out later today. Now we need $500 billion to build 15 mines around the world for whatever new magical element we need in massive amounts. Because we live in the real world, this will be fraught with global pushback, because finding the political support today for creating insanely massive mines in favor of hopefully one day breaking even on carbon neutrality is a fool's errand.
Probably 25 more years of litigation, and you should start getting access to mines which would allow you to pollute to insane degrees so we can fight climate change in a century.
The problem with solar is not technical (although we've not yet solved the technical challenges, which are considerable) but financial/economical.
Let's assume all the physics are sorted out later today. Now we need $500 billion to build 15 mines around the world for whatever new magical element we need in massive amounts. Because we live in the real world, this will be fraught with global pushback, because finding the political support today for creating insanely massive mines in favor of hopefully one day breaking even on carbon neutrality is a fool's errand.
Probably 25 more years of litigation, and you should start getting access to mines which would allow you to pollute to insane degrees so we can fight climate change in a century.
I could go on, but you get the point.