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1) Variability: This is the biggest and most vexing.

Power plants that run on fuel (along with some hydro and geothermal plants) can be ramped up and down on command. They are, in the jargon, "dispatchable." But VRE plants produce power only when the wind is blowing or the sun is shining. Grid operators don't control VRE, they accommodate it, which requires some agility.

2) Uncertainty: The output of VRE plants cannot be predicted with perfect accuracy in day-ahead and day-of forecasts, so grid operators have to keep excess reserve running just in case.

3) Location-specificity: Sun and wind are stronger (and thus more economical) in some places than in others - and not always in places that have the necessary transmission infrastructure to get the power to where it's needed.

4) Nonsynchronous generation: Conventional generators provide voltage support and frequency control to the grid. VRE generators can too, potentially, but it's an additional capital investment.

5) Low capacity factor: VRE plants only run when sun or wind cooperates.