Challenges for large-scale deployment of renewable energy in the context of carbon neutrality

Renewable energy, such as wind and solar energy, is expected to experience exponential growth under global climate actions and play an increasingly crucial role in China’s synergy control of carbon emission mitigation and pollution reduction. Compared with fossil energy, renewable power generation exhibits significant time volatility, spatial heterogeneity, and high mineral intensity in manufacturing. How to efficiently utilize high-proportion renewable power and mitigate potential environmental risks along the industrial chain becomes a scientific and technological problem. An integrated solution is proposed here in terms of renewable energy assessment, multi-system optimization modeling, life cycle, and material flow analysis to address the challenges for large-scale deployment of renewable energy in the context of carbon neutrality in China and other countries.