Thiessen: Just so people understand wind and solar only work when there is wind and sun. We don't have technology to store the energy from wind and solar…

The claim consists of two main components: first, that wind and solar energy only produce electricity when the wind is blowing or the sun is shining; second, that we lack technology to store energy from these sources effectively. The intermittency of wind and solar power is a well-established fact, these sources generate electricity only when their natural inputs are available (wind or sunlight).democracyjournal.orgdemocracyjournal.orgWhy Renewables Cannot Replace Fossil Fuels : Democracy Journal

This intermittency creates challenges for grid reliability and requires backup power or storage solutions. Regarding storage, technologies such as large-scale batteries (e.g., lithium-ion), pumped hydroelectric storage, and emerging methods do exist and are increasingly deployed to store excess renewable energy for later use.quora.comquora.comWhat are the reasons for not using wind and solar power for all energy needs?

However, these storage solutions currently face limitations in scale, cost, and geographic feasibility, meaning they cannot yet fully compensate for the variability of renewables on their own. Thus, while it is inaccurate to say we have no technology to store renewable energy at all, it is true that current storage capacity is insufficient to fully address intermittency without additional backup or grid management strategies.

This nuance explains why the claim is mostly true but somewhat misleading if interpreted as a total absence of storage technology.