On 20 March 2015, a partial solar eclipse will pass over Germany. Craig Morris says the impact will provide a glimpse of a future in which most households not only have solar roofs, but also battery storage.
All posts tagged: Grid
Silver lining to cloud over PV
In 2014, installations of new photovoltaic arrays in Germany fell to almost a quarter of the level sustained from 2010 to 2012. Craig Morris says the performance nonetheless remains impressive relative to the size of the German grid.
How to reform EU power markets: is a capacity market necessary?
The idea of a European capacity market has been occupying people’s minds for quite some time. Jan Ondřich takes a look at the feasibility and design and finds that Europe must solve other – more pressing – energy market issues first.
Local energy brings greater democracy in Poland
Poland is clearly far from being a leader on climate action – it still uses coal to generate nearly 90 per cent of its electricity. However, below the doom and gloom headlines there are glimmers of hope that reveal a burgeoning will to join the global transition towards a clean energy future. Philippa Nuttall Jones finds that a growing sector of the population is increasingly seeing community energy as a means to a more democratic future.
World’s longest superconductor in operation in Germany
One benefit of Germany’s energy transition is supposed to be technological innovations. The new superconductor currently being tested in Essen is a good example of how the Energiewende could ensure German technological leadership. Craig Morris says the project also shows what the future looks like for large utilities.
A small town in Germany becomes a testing ground for a smart grid
In the 1990s, the small Bavarian town of Wildpoldsried decided to embrace renewables. Today, it produces several times the energy it consumes and has become a testing ground for future smart grid technologies, as Laurie Guevara-Stone notes.
Germany’s Energiewende is shifting the energy paradigm – now it’s time to optimize
Germany’s Energiewende has revolutionized how we produce power. In order to succeed, Germany will need to optimize its energy infrastructure next – including grid expansion, demand management and backup storage, explains Peter Sopher.
Germany’s Energiewende proves electricity can be clean and reliable
Germany has rapidly increased the share of renewables in its power mix. Critics claim that this has lead to grid instability. Peter Sopher looks at the numbers and shows that German grid stability has actually increased and is much higher than in most other countries.
While critics debate Energiewende, Germany is gaining a global advantage
An often heard criticism of Germany’s Energiewende is its high price tag for consumers. Peter Sopher argues that a focus on price alone is shortsighted – as the economic and societal benefits outweight the cost by far.
Learning from the cell phone phenomenon
Microgrids based around solar can help developing countries leapfrog into a new energy paradigm – they make clean and cheap electricity available to the poorest, as Laurie Guevara-Stone reports.