# Explain why renewable energy resources such as solar and wind are not always reliable for large-scale electricity generation.

> AQA GCSE Physics (8463) — 4.1.3 National and global energy resources · Explain · 4 marks

## Mark scheme (4 marks)

1. Solar energy cannot be generated at night or in bad/cloudy weather
2. Wind energy is intermittent / only generated when the wind is blowing
3. This means electricity cannot always be generated on demand / supply cannot always match demand
4. Fossil fuels / non-renewable resources can generate electricity consistently at any time, so are more reliable for large-scale supply

## Key terms

- [renewable energy resource](https://www.gradenine.co.uk/glossary/renewable-energy-resource)
- [large-scale electricity generation](https://www.gradenine.co.uk/glossary/large-scale-electricity-generation)

## Related

- [Revision notes for AQA GCSE Physics (8463)](https://www.gradenine.co.uk/learn)
- [How to answer "Explain" questions](https://www.gradenine.co.uk/tools/command-word-cheatsheet)
- [Practice this with AI marking (free)](https://www.gradenine.co.uk/start)

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Source: [GradeNine](https://www.gradenine.co.uk/q/explain-why-renewable-energy-resources-such-6dcc5440) · Published by Druglandscape Ltd.