Fig. 2: Optimal phased configuration of PV, wind, storage, and transmission capacities under progressive global interconnection scenario.
From: Globally interconnected solar-wind system addresses future electricity demands
a, b Placement and timeline for installations of solar PV (a) and wind (b) plants, with cumulative annual electricity generation shown in the bottom insets. The base coastline layers were sourced from the Natural Earth database, which is in the public domain. c, d Regional allocation of storage (c) and transmission (d) capacities for the 2030 s, 2040 s, and 2050 s. In (c), bars illustrate the proportional distribution of each phase and region, and labeled numbers denote total storage power and duration. In (d), line thickness and accompanying numbers indicate trans-regional transmission capacity, node size represents total outbound capacity, and color combinations show the proportional allocation across the three phases. e Multi-objective optimization results highlight trade-offs among maximizing penetration, minimizing curtailment, and reducing overall costs. Different symbol shapes indicate the impact of varying baseload generation levels. Bars illustrate the marginal cost of increased penetration. Boxplots show the average flexible power requirements of all optimization results (n = 70) for different baseload scenarios. Boxplots represent the median (center line), the 25th and 75th percentiles (box bounds), and the minimum and maximum values (whiskers) (f, g), Evolution of power supply (f) and consumption (g) structures under the optimal spatial configuration and development pathway.
