Fig. 1: Exploitable, accessible, and interconnectable potential of global solar and wind energy.

a Potential electricity generation within each 0.25° × 0.25° grid-box, accounting for land-use suitability, topographical and natural constraints, and proximity to existing transmission lines (up to 10 km distance) at a 500-m resolution. The base coastline layer was sourced from the Natural Earth database, which is in the public domain. b, c Latitudinal (b) and longitudinal (c) variations in electricity generation potential. d Comparison of total potential with global demand in 2050. e Discrepancies between regional potential and decadal demand during 2023–2100 (left), as well as the diurnal cycle of the discrepancy for 2050 (right). Global major regions are based on the United Nations geoscheme (Supplementary Fig. S4a), and Micronesia and Polynesia, primarily consisting of small island countries, are not discussed in this analysis. f Illustration of the necessity for optimization. An unoptimized scenario (solid line with hollow circles) necessitates full potential utilization for round-the-clock power supply, whereas combined storage and optimization strategies (black dashed line) markedly lower the required development size.