In recent years, the debate around the energy transition has often focused on a simple question:are renewables enough?
From a technical standpoint, the answer is yes.
Solar and wind resources are abundant, widely distributed, and essentially free. At the same time, technology costs have declined dramatically over the past decade, making renewables among the most competitive energy sources.
And yet, the challenge remains.
Because the real limit is not technology.
It is the system.
Renewables are inherently non-dispatchable. They generate electricity when conditions allow, not when demand requires it.
This creates a structural mismatch between:
In traditional power systems based on dispatchable sources, this mismatch is manageable. In systems with a high share of renewables, it becomes central.
The result is increasing volatility.
During periods of high renewable output:
-
prices drop
-
in some cases, they even become negative
During periods of low renewable output:
-
prices increase rapidly
-
more expensive technologies are required
This is not a flaw of renewables.
It is a consequence of how they work.
Managing this system requires three key elements:
1. Flexibility
Grids capable of handling variable and distributed flows.
2. Storage
The ability to shift energy over time.
3. Efficient markets
Price signals that reflect real-time availability.
Storage, in particular, is often presented as the ultimate solution.
But here too, clarity is needed.
Storage performs extremely well on a daily basis:
-
storing excess generation during peak hours
-
releasing it when demand increases
However, it is far less effective on a seasonal scale, where the volumes of energy involved are significantly larger.
This leads to a critical point: there is no single solution.
The energy transition is not about replacing one technology with another.
It is about designing a complex system where each component plays a specific role.
And in complex systems, oversimplifications are often misleading.
Scroll To Top
