Share of electricity production from renewables, 2022[1]The Shepherds Flat Wind Farm is an 845 megawatt (MW) wind farm in the U.S. state of Oregon.The 550 MW Desert Sunlight Solar Farm in California.The Three Gorges Dam on the Yangtze River, China.The Nesjavellir Geothermal Power Plant in Þingvellir, IcelandThe 392 MW Ivanpah Solar Power Facility in California: The facility's three towers.Construction of the Salt Tanks, which provide efficient thermal energy storage[2] so that output can be provided after the sun goes down, and output can be scheduled to meet demand requirements.[3] The 280 MW Solana Generating Station is designed to provide six hours of energy storage. This allows the plant to generate about 38 percent of its rated capacity over the course of a year.[4]Comparing trends in worldwide energy use, the growth of renewable energy to 2015 is the green line[5]
Research into this topic is fairly new, with very few studies published before 2009, but has gained increasing attention in recent years. The majority of studies show that a global transition to 100% renewable energy across all sectors – power, heat, transport and industry – is feasible and economically viable.[6][7][8][9][need quotation to verify] A cross-sectoral, holistic approach is seen as an important feature of 100% renewable energy systems and is based on the assumption "that the best solutions can be found only if one focuses on the synergies between the sectors" of the energy system such as electricity, heat, transport or industry.[10]