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The DOI matches its Crossref record; 10 of the 10 references it cites were found in a registry or an index.

Geophysical constraints on the reliability of solar and wind power worldwide

Open access
Tong, Dan, Farnham, David J., Duan, Lei, Zhang, Qiang, Lewis, Nathan S., Caldeira, Ken, Davis, Steven J.·2021·Nature Communications

Abstract

If future net-zero emissions energy systems rely heavily on solar and wind resources, spatial and temporal mismatches between resource availability and electricity demand may challenge system reliability. Using 39 years of hourly reanalysis data (1980–2018), we analyze the ability of solar and wind resources to meet electricity demand in 42 countries, varying the hypothetical scale and mix of renewable generation as well as energy storage capacity. Assuming perfect transmission and annual generation equal to annual demand, but no energy storage, we find the most reliable renewable electricity systems are wind-heavy and satisfy countries’ electricity demand in 72–91% of hours (83–94% by adding 12 h of storage). Yet even in systems which meet >90% of demand, hundreds of hours of unmet demand may occur annually. Our analysis helps quantify the power, energy, and utilization rates of additional energy storage, demand management, or curtailment, as well as the benefits of regional aggregation.

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Metadata

Authors
Tong, D., Farnham, D. J., Duan, L., Zhang, Q., Lewis, N. S., Caldeira, K., & Davis, S. J.
Venue
Nature Communications
Published
2021-10-22
Volume
12
Issue
1
Pages
6146-6146
ISSN
2041-1723 (ISSN-L)
OpenAlex
W3207640265
Cited by
323
References
10
FWCI
11.31
Type
journal article
Language
en
Open access
gold

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CoChat. (2026). Citation check: Geophysical constraints on the reliability of solar and wind power worldwide. https://app.cochat.ai/papers/10.1038/s41467-021-26355-z
The paper
Tong, D., Farnham, D. J., Duan, L., Zhang, Q., Lewis, N. S., Caldeira, K., & Davis, S. J. (2021). Geophysical constraints on the reliability of solar and wind power worldwide. Nature Communications. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-021-26355-z

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