Integrating Solar and Wind: Global experience and emerging challenges

Solar and wind power are growing at an accelerated pace. Between 2018 and 2023, solar PV and wind capacity more than doubled, while their share of electricity generation almost doubled. Growth is expected to continue as governments position these sources as key pillars for decarbonising the energy sector and provide supportive policies while costs come down.

To maximise the benefits coming from this additional capacity, solar PV and wind need to be well integrated into power systems as they are deployed. Facilitating this – which is vital to ensuring secure and cost-effective energy transitions – will require technical, institutional, policy and market design changes.

This new IEA report, Integrating Solar and Wind: Global experience and emerging challenges, lays out where the world is now and explores what work is still needed. It offers a first-of-its-kind global stocktake of integration measures across 50 power systems that account for nearly 90% of global solar PV and wind generation. This includes updated country assessments using the IEA’s phases of variable renewable energy (VRE) integration framework, originally developed in 2017 and last updated in 2019. It also takes stock of emerging challenges at higher levels of VRE penetration and how frontrunner systems are already managing them. 

The analysis reveals key insights from global experiences and provides guidance for governments on how to prioritise integration measures, allowing them to effectively manage growing amounts of solar PV and wind in their power systems.

A webinar with the authors highlighting the report's key findings will take place on 3 October. You can sign up here.