Assessing the role of variable renewables in energy transition: methodologies and tools

Due to the environmental impacts brought by current energy schemes, the energy transition, a new paradigm-shift from fossil fuels to renewable energy, has been widely accepted and is being realized through collective international and local efforts. Electricity, as the most direct and effective use of renewable energy sources (RES), plays a key role in the energy transition. In this paper, we first discuss a viable pathway to energy transition through the electricity triangle, highlighting the role of RES in electricity generation. Further, we propose methodologies for the planning of wind and solar PV, as well as how to address their uncertainty in generation expansion problems. Finally, by using a web-based tool, “RES-PLAT” 1 , we demonstrate the scheme in a case study of the North Africa, which evaluates the impacts and benefits of a large-scale RES expansion.