Response to ‘Burden of proof: A comprehensive review of the feasibility of 100% renewable-electricity systems’

Abstract

A recent article 'Burden of proof: A comprehensive review of the feasibility of 100% renewable-electricity systems' claims that many studies of 100% renewable electricity systems do not demonstrate sufficient technical feasibility, according to the criteria of the article's authors (henceforth 'the authors'). Here we analyse the authors' methodology and find it problematic. The feasibility criteria chosen by the authors are important, but are also easily addressed at low economic cost, while not affecting the main conclusions of the reviewed studies and certainly not affecting their technical feasibility. A more thorough review reveals that all of the issues have already been addressed in the engineering and modelling literature. Nuclear power, which the authors have evaluated positively elsewhere, faces other, genuine feasibility problems, such as the finiteness of uranium resources and a reliance on unproven technologies in the medium-to long-term. Energy systems based on renewables, on the other hand, are not only feasible, but already economically viable and decreasing in cost every year.

Power generation expansion planning with complementarity between renewable sources and regions for 100% renewable energy systems

“…In fact, the use of 12 AWS and four regions does not represent the individual variability in the different regions of the Brazilian territory but is representative of the global variation at country level. The same was verified in several studies, with the geographical dispersion contributing to the smoothing effect of the global generation …”

“…The number of weather stations depends on the sources and the study, such as 17 weather stations for solar irradiation were used in Schmidt et al In a review work, Engeland et al concludes that a resolution of at least 1 hour is recommended for the assessment of intermittent renewable sources. In large‐scale models, an hourly resolution is enough to capture the variations, because if there is enough flexibility to deal with hourly variations, there is also flexibility to deal with intra‐hour variations, being such service usually ensured by hydropower …”

Solar photovoltaic capacity demand for a sustainable transport sector to fulfil the Paris Agreement by 2050

“…The remaining 19 470 TWh th would be based on energy crops. The sustainability of such a high energy crop contribution is discussed strongly (eg, Tomei and Helliwell) and thus limited in scenarios with a very high level of sustainability as explained further by Child et al and Brown et al The 4% biofuel contribution is equivalent to an energy crop contribution of about 2700 TWh th . This is the maximum biofuel contribution during the energy transition and partly met by jatropha plants on degraded land .…”

“…The 100% RE power system is expected to be lower in cost than the current electricity system and other alternatives, which constitutes the hypothesis that a fully RE‐based transport sector would also be a least cost solution under the given constraints. The technical feasibility and the economic viability of 100% RE systems are discussed in a fast growing number of research pieces . Biofuels alone cannot solve the challenge of the transport sector because of limited resource availability, sustainability issues, and cost constraints .…”

Role of Seawater Desalination in the Management of an Integrated Water and 100% Renewable Energy Based Power Sector in Saudi Arabia

“…There is a fast growing number of publications on 100% renewable energy-based energy systems [72], which helps to overcome the past concern that such systems would be neither technically feasible nor economically viable. This research on the case of Saudi Arabia is another confirmation of the high competitiveness of 100% RE systems.…”