Based on state-of-the-art high-resolution meteorological and electrical load data, mathematical modelling and the physics of complex networks, fundamental properties of fully renewable power systems on continental as well as on county scale are determined.
Amongst such characteristics are the optimal mix of wind and solar power generation, the optimal combination of storage and balancing, the optimal extension of the transmission network as well as the optimal ramp down of fossil and nuclear power generation during the transitional phase.
These results indicate that the pathways into future energy systems will be driven by an optimal systemic combination of technologies, and that economy and markets have to follow technology.
