There is no shortage of warnings. If the households that have previously heated with gas load the power grids with fan heaters and radiators, the blackout issue becomes increasingly realistic.
“Blackout in Germany – horror scenario or real danger?” asks the “Wiso” documentary by Erik Hane, who on Monday on ZDF looks at the long-term challenges of the energy transition.
Coal phase-out, climate change, sector coupling: The briefing for the energy and climate sector. For decision makers
What does it mean for grid security if 80 percent of German electricity consumption is to come from wind, water, sun and biomass within a few years? Is it better to implement this with a power grid that works with a few dozen large power plants, or is a decentralized grid with many solar roofs or wind turbines better?
The problem with this: Since the sun and wind are not constant, there could be temporary bottlenecks. A remedy could come from electricity storage, such as pumped storage power plants, hydrogen storage or gigantic batteries. But there is not enough of that in Germany.
In the documentation, scientists and practitioners are asked whether politicians have a plan to provide Germany with sufficient electricity storage. And the responsible politicians are confronted with the research results.