Globally interconnected solar-wind system addresses future electricity demands.

Area of Science:

• Energy Systems Engineering
• Renewable Energy Integration
• Climate Change Mitigation

Background:

• The global energy transition towards renewable sources is crucial for achieving net-zero emissions.
• Integrating high levels of solar and wind energy into the global power system presents significant technical and economic challenges due to their inherent variability.

Purpose of the Study:

• To assess the potential of a globally interconnected solar-wind energy system to meet future electricity demands.
• To evaluate the optimization strategies for solar-wind deployment, energy storage, and trans-regional transmission.
• To analyze the economic and resilience benefits of such an interconnected system.

Main Methods:

• Modeling a globally interconnected solar-wind power system.
• Optimizing the deployment of solar and wind generation, energy storage capacity, and trans-regional transmission infrastructure.
• Estimating energy generation potential and comparing investment costs against non-interconnected strategies.

Main Results:

• The proposed system could generate approximately 3.1 times the projected 2050 global electricity demand.
• Achieving high solar-wind penetration requires only 29.4% of the maximum potential capacity when optimized.
• A 15.6% reduction in initial investment costs is achievable compared to non-interconnected systems.

Conclusions:

• Global interconnection significantly enhances energy efficiency, mitigates renewable energy variability, and improves energy availability.
• The interconnected system demonstrates robust resilience against climate extremes, operational disruptions, and geopolitical instability.
• This approach offers a viable pathway for high renewable energy penetration and facilitates the economic transition to sustainable energy.