Enabling Technologies: Innovation Landscape briefs

IRENA’s Innovation Landscape report highlights innovations in enabling technologies that play a key role in facilitating the integration of renewable energy.

These are further explored in sets of briefs addressing key power system challenges:

Electricity storage
Battery storage technologies help to offset the variability of renewables and provide various services to the grid.

• Utility-scale batteries
• Behind-the-meter batteries

Electrification of end-use sectors
Electrification of other sectors opens doors to new markets for renewable power generation as well as new ways to store surplus generation.

• Electric-vehicle smart charging
• Renewable power-to-hydrogen
• Renewable power-to-heat

Digital technologies
Digital technologies are introducing new applications in the power sector, changing the boundaries and dynamics of the industry and helping to optimise renewable energy assets.

• Internet of Things
• Artificial Intelligence and Big Data
• Blockchain

New grids
New and smart grids, both large and small scale,  complement each other and enable new ways to manage VRE generation.

• Renewable mini-grids
• Supergrids

Dispatchable generation 
Refurbishment of existing assets helps to adapt to new conditions and meet the evolving needs of the system.

• Flexibility in conventional power plants

See also related briefs on innovations Market Design.