German renewable energy lobby organization AEE has published another meta-study, this time reviewing the wide range of scientific investigations into power storage. As Craig Morris explains, the main finding is in line with other recent publications – storing excess renewable electricity from the summer for the winter will not be necessary for a while. Back in October, we covered the AEE’s previous meta-study on the cost of renewables compared to conventional power sources. A meta-study does not conduct original research, but rather reviews and compares previously published studies. This time, the focus is on the power storage (website in German). In line with previous investigations, such as the one by Fraunhofer ISE, the AEE finds that storage across weeks at a time will “not become relevant until renewables make up at least 60 to 80 percent of power consumption.” In contrast, short-term storage (for hours or a day or two) will be needed sooner, but it will partly also pertain to stabilizing the grid. In 2013, Germany only had 7.5 gigawatts of pumped-storage, including the … Continue reading “Seasonal storage not needed for now”