Public solar container communication station wind power

Can a solar-wind system meet future energy demands?

Accelerating energy transition towards renewables is central to net-zero emissions. However, building a global power system dominated by solar and wind energy presents immense challenges. Here, we demonstrate the potential of a globally interconnected solar-wind system to meet future electricity demands.

How much electricity can a solar-wind power plant generate?

Our estimates suggest that the total electricity generation from global interconnectable solar-wind potential could reach a staggering level of [237.33 ± 1.95] × 10³ TWh/year (mean ± standard deviation; the standard deviation is due to climatic fluctuations).

Are solar and wind resources interconnected?

Theoretically, the potential of solar and wind resources on Earth vastly surpasses human demand 33, 34. In our pursuit of a globally interconnected solar-wind system, we have focused solely on the potentials that are exploitable, accessible, and interconnectable (see “Methods”).

Is solar-wind deployment suitable?

We evaluate the suitability of solar-wind deployment focusing on three aspects: solar/wind exploitability, accessibility, and interconnectability, as elaborated in Supplementary Table S3. ‘Exploitability’ pertains to the restrictions dictated by land use and terrain slope for installing PV systems and wind turbines.