Managing intermittent sources of electricity: the prospects opened by research

Beyond the difficult question of foreseeing the additional cost of placing one kWh of electricity on the grid - a cost that must be kept as low as possible to improve the technology for harnessing and converting energy - the growing share of electricity from renewable energy sources in national consumption (initially in replacement of fossil fuels) raises questions for research. How to limit the factors that make most of these forms of energy intermittent? One solution involves developing local or centralized storage capacities that are technically and economically efficient. Another proposal has to do with introducing information technology in electricity grids and electric appliances in order to reverse the currently prevailing rationale so that demand adjusts to supply, and not the reverse, in proportions that, though probably limited, are indispensable