OPTIONS FOR LOAD BALANCING IN THE GERMAN ENERGY TRANSITION UNTIL 2050

Abstract

In its energy policy concept, the German government has set the goal of reaching a share of renewable energy in electricity generation of at least 50 % by 2030, 65 % by 2040 and 80 % by 2050. To reach those goals (and to make the energy transition possible), a consortium consisting of the German Aerospace Centre (DLR) and the Fraunhofer IWES prepared long-term scenarios and strategies for the deployment of renewable energies in Germany in view of European and global developments [3] for the German Ministry of the Environment and Nuclear Safety (BMU). In these scenarios, the following options for load balancing are considered: import of controllable power from concentrating solar power plants in North Africa, electric mobility with adapted charging strategies, generation of hydrogen for use in non-electric transport, pumped storage hydro power, flexible combined heat and power generation and conventional power plants. This paper gives an overview over the long-term scenarios and the importance of each of the mentioned balancing options for the German power supply in a European integrated power supply system.