Paper on solar and wind potential during temperature extremes published in Environmental Research Letters

A new paper (Singh et al., 2024) in the journal Environmental Research Letters examines shows that increasing solar and wind energy capacity could help keep the lights on during widespread hot and cold spells across the U.S. The study found that solar and wind energy potential often increases during the types of large-scale heat waves and cold snaps that drive up energy demand and can cause power outages. While wind potential varied by region, solar potential was higher during both hot and cold extremes in nearly every part of the country. The findings suggest that expanding renewable energy could boost grid reliability while also reducing emissions.

For more, see the paper or read this Twitter thread.

References

Singh, D., Bekris, Y. S., Rogers, C. D. W., Doss-Gollin, J., Coffel, E. D., & Kalashnikov, D. A. (2024). Enhanced solar and wind potential during widespread temperature extremes across the U.S. Interconnected energy grids. Environmental Research Letters, 19(4), 044018. https://doi.org/10.1088/1748-9326/ad2e72