To many it still seems unthinkable that wind and solar power should supply Germany with electricity in the future – when the wind doesn’t always blow and the sun doesn’t always shine. There have long been good ideas for dealing with the volatility of renewables.
(Photo: IMAGO/Panama Pictures)
Dusseldorf The new debate about a German phase-out of coal by 2030 is raising fears in many places. An early exit only works if the security of supply is guaranteed, according to the Brandenburg state parliament, for example.
That is of course correct. However, fear is a bad advisor if a transformation as far-reaching as the German energy transition is to succeed at the necessary speed.
Fear protects against making negligent decisions. But it also hinders innovative thinking. To many it still seems unthinkable that wind and solar power should supply Germany with electricity in the future – when the wind doesn’t always blow and the sun doesn’t always shine. There have long been good ideas for dealing with the volatility of renewables.
There are better solutions than gas power plants
One example is the mega storage facility that Germany’s power grid operators now want to build. On particularly windy days in northern Germany, wind turbines sometimes have to be stopped because they produce more electricity than the lines to the south can transport. While wind power is declining, expensive gas-fired power plants may go online in southern Germany. Storage can temporarily prevent this.
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If they are full, they can supply the necessary bridging current for a short time. They are much more flexible than power plants, so that the power grids can be better utilized and wind power has to be shut down less often.
A secure power supply of the future also includes massive investments in hydrogen. It must be created in northern Germany with cheap wind power. And southern Germany will have to convert large amounts of hydrogen back into electricity in the future. This is shown by long-term scenarios commissioned by the federal government. An early energy transition is technologically possible. Only: Implementing them requires courage and decisive decisions.
More: Which coal-fired power plants will start operating again in October