Trend Data centre growth and renewables raise grid complexity and supply volatility

Summary

The spread of data centres and wider deployment of renewables such as solar, wind and hydrogen are making power grids more complex. KISTEP expects the intermittency and variability of electricity supply to deepen as a result. Conventional grids are poorly suited to highly variable sources like solar and wind. They are also burdened by large transmission and distribution losses, heavy infrastructure costs and weakening public acceptance. The report reads these structural inefficiencies as the reason a new kind of energy system is required.