IEA urges proactive measures to integrate renewables

Proactive measures are needed to integrate variable renewables into power systems globally as the adoption of wind and solar continues to expand rapidly, the International Energy Agency (IEA) said on Wednesday as it released a report on the issue.

The report, Integrating Solar and Wind: Global experience and emerging challenges, analyses efforts to integrate renewables across 50 power systems, which together represent almost 90% of global solar and wind generation.

“In recent years, the world has seen a remarkable increase in solar and wind capacity as countries have looked to bolster their energy security and reduce emissions. But they won’t reap the full benefits without stronger efforts to support the integration of these technologies into power systems,” said IEA Director of Energy Markets and Security Keisuke Sadamori.

According to the report, delaying integration measures could jeopardise up to 15% of solar photovoltaic (PV) and wind power generation in 2030, leading to lower carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions reduction in the power sector. If integration measures are not implemented in line with a scenario aligned with national climate targets, up to 2,000 TWh of global variable renewables generation would be at risk by 2030, due to possible increases in curtailment and connection delays. As a result, solar and wind would reach 30% of the global electricity mix by 2030, instead of 35%, if integration happens on time.

According to the analysis, countries that currently have low shares of variable renewables can boost deployment by using well-known and tested measures such as enhancing the flexibility of existing assets and improved forecasting.

The higher penetration of wind and solar poses greater challenges, but frontrunners like Denmark, Ireland, South Australia and Spain are finding ways to tackle these issues, setting an example for others to follow, IEA said. Storage and new power grid technologies are playing a key role.

The report says most technological solutions to address challenges like a higher need for stability and flexibility are either mature or nearing maturity, and their implementation depends on appropriate policy and regulatory action rather than innovation breakthroughs. Yet, rethinking the ways in which power systems have traditionally been planned and operated is also needed.

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