Ever wondered whether the world could run entirely on renewable electricity?

A new study published in Advances in Applied Energy explores the energetic feasibility of a fully renewable global electricity grid powered only by wind and solar. Framed as a thought experiment, the work investigates a theoretical “bounding case” — testing how far global interconnection alone could, in principle, reduce variability in renewable generation. The results suggest that global interconnection could reduce wasted renewable electricity by more than 90% compared with isolated regional grids.

The study examines a “transmission-only” scenario, isolating how much variability in renewable generation could be smoothed simply by moving electricity around the planet. The results indicate that transmission losses would average only about 3.6% of global demand — far lower than the losses associated with long-distance chemical energy carriers such as hydrogen.

The work provides a physical benchmark for future studies. By establishing an upper bound on what transmission alone could achieve, the research helps frame the scale of the global energy transition challenge.