“Unlike dispatchable fossil-fuel or nuclear generation, solar and wind power output varies unpredictably with weather conditions, leading to mismatches between supply and demand.” — Sargentis et al., 2026

New research utilizes stochastic analysis to assess the effectiveness of renewable energy sources (RES) in satisfying energy demands in Greece.

Results indicate solar photovoltaic (PV) and wind power only meet annual energy demands 32% and 44% of the time, respectively. When electricity is needed to heat or cool a home, wind and solar power cannot deliver most of the time.

Furthermore, a greater penetration of RES is known to “increase reliance on fossil-fuel generation or increases the risk of blackouts.”

Heavier reliance on wind and solar power is also “linked to higher electricity prices.” So we pay more to obtain less.

“Although solar photovoltaic (PV) generation can theoretically meet annual per-capita electricity demand, its stochastic variability significantly limits system reliability in the absence of storage. In the examined case study, a PV-only configuration satisfies demand during only about one-third of the examined time steps, while also producing substantial surplus energy that must be curtailed.”

If reliably meeting electricity demand is the intended goal of a higher penetration of wind and solar power, a documented ~62% combined failure rate demonstrate these technologies are severely unreliable and inadequate.

Image Source: Sargentis et al., 2026