Renewable energy curtailment, while frequently employed as a strategic measure to preserve grid reliability, is increasingly indicative of structural inefficiencies within the power grid. Large volumes of wind and solar generation are curtailed due to insufficient transmission capacity, limited deployment of energy storage systems near curtailment-prone regions, and the operational rigidity of legacy baseload coal plants, many of which lack economic incentives to modulate output. Even within the California Independent System Operator (CAISO) footprint, often recognized for maintaining lower curtailment levels, curtailments reached 702, 883 MWh in April 2023, 839, 582 MWh in April 2024, and 919, 020 MWh in March 2025. These inefficiencies are exacerbated in vertically integrated markets such as ones in the midwestern US footprint, where regulatory frameworks often insulate inflexible generators from competitive market signals. Recent review studies addressing renewable energy curtailment have primarily focused on specific aspects such as transmission expansion planning, market-based curtailment reduction mechanisms, or the role of energy storage integration. However, these works generally lack a holistic assessment that connects the technical, economic, and regulatory dimensions of curtailment. Moreover, limited attention has been given to emerging flexible loads such as data centers, which can play a critical role in aligning demand with renewable generation variability. This overview paper offers a systematic analysis of the underlying drivers of energy curtailment, quantifies the impact of grid constraints and generation inflexibility, and proposes actionable mitigation strategies. Our mitigation strategies are grounded in practical, cost-effective solutions and include leveraging the proliferation of data centers and their scheduling flexibility, resulting in an average demonstrated daily savings of 18, 150 across five 25 MW data centers. These strategies also include targeted advanced reconductoring of transmission lines, which is cost-effective compared to full transmission line buildout, with costs ranging between 0. 18–0. 88 million per mile for 115 – 765 kV projects, as well as grid-edge deployment of battery energy storage systems (BESS) and the integration of second-life EV battery assets where pricing parity can be achieved. Collectively, these interventions can reduce avoidable curtailment, optimize energy storage utilization, and enable a more dynamic, responsive, and decarbonized electric grid.
Ghosh et al. (Mon,) studied this question.