Renewable energy use in oil shale retorting

A method of retorting oil shale containing kerogen, said method comprising:

• (a) continuously or semi-continuously feeding oil shale into a heated retorting unit comprising a middle wall disposed internally within said heated retorting unit, and an inner wall disposed internally within said heated retorting unit, wherein said middle wall is configured with middle slots and/or middle holes, and wherein said inner wall is configured with inner slots and/or inner holes;
• (b) heating said heated retorting unit, at least partially, using electrical energy;
• (c) in said heated retorting unit, converting said kerogen into one or more retorted streams comprising kerogen oil in the form of a vapor, mist, and/or liquid;
• (d) conveying a cross-flow sweep gas across a continuously or semi-continuously moving thin bed of said oil shale within said heated retorting unit, wherein said continuously moving thin bed of said oil shale is bounded by said middle wall and said inner wall, and wherein said heated cross-flow sweep gas carries said kerogen oil out of said heated retorting unit;
• (e) recovering or further processing said kerogen oil;
• and
• (f) recovering or further processing spent, kerogen-depleted oil shale.