Broad Range of Technologies Could Firm Up Wind and Solar Generation in Net Zero Carbon Dioxide Emission Electricity Systems

Abstract

‘Firming’ technologies can be coupled to variable wind and solar generation to meet electricity demand reliably. Options that could participate in this firming role include dispatchable electricity generators, electricity storage technologies, atmospheric carbon dioxide removal, and demand management. In this study, we allow various firming technologies to participate in a stylized net zero CO2 emission electricity system reliant on wind and solar generation. By examining a series of least-cost systems in which the most valuable firming technologies are sequentially removed, we demonstrate that reliable wind-and-solar-reliant electricity systems do not depend on the feasibility of any particular firming technology.