Paving the Way: A Future Without Inertia Is Closer Than You Think

Abstract

Unless you have been hibernating in a remote cave for the past decade, you will have noticed the explosion of variable renewable generation. Wind power and solar photovoltaics (PVs) have been the subject of dozens of articles, just within the pages of IEEE Power & Energy Magazine. Charts illustrating relentless growth, such as the example from the United States shown in Figure 1 with futures tending toward 100% renewable energy, are common. This figure, provided by the National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL), reflects a low-cost, high-renewable projection scenario.