The energy revolution is the only thing that can put the brake on climate change. This means that, by 2040, grids will have to transport up to 50 percent more power.
The energy revolution is the only thing that can put the brake on climate change. This means that, by 2040, grids will have to transport up to 50 percent more power.
Power grids are facing significant challenges. In the course of the energy revolution, coal and oil in particular will be replaced by renewable energy. Energy that today travels by road, rail and waterways will flow through the grids in the future. Yet even without the substitution of fossil fuels, power grids would still have to transport more electrical energy, because demand is constantly growing.
Experts agree that, in the course of the energy revolution, the number of large power stations in power grids (nuclear, coal and gas) will be reduced by up to 50 percent over the next two decades. Depending on the scenario, this means that up to 79 percent of electrical energy will be generated without emissions. Solar and wind power will make up the largest portion. However, production from renewable energy suppliers fluctuates; many of the systems are also significantly smaller than conventional power stations and, on the consumer side, fluctuations will increase due to electromobility in particular. Therefore, the transition to renewable energy will have drastic effects on the power grids. This means that grid planners and operators face five key questions:
Operations management of the grids will need to adjust to a fluctuating supply of electrical energy. Just as coal bunkers acted as reserves in the past, new methods are now needed. The most important energy storage technologies of the future include power-to-gas systems, pumped-storage plants and batteries.
Renewable energy producers are mainly built where the availability of primary energy (wind, sunlight, biogas, biomass) is the greatest, not necessarily where the demand is highest. The plants tend to be smaller, and producers are shifting to distribution grids. As a result, distribution grids and transmission grids need to be expanded in many cases.
As part of the energy revolution, grids will soon have to transport 50 percent more electrical energy. The operating times of wind plants are at around 40 percent, while those of solar plants are at just under 15 percent. To produce the same amount of energy as conventional plants, significantly higher capacities will need to be constructed. The integration of road traffic into the power grid also adds new fluctuations to the grid on the consumer side. Depending on the reserve capacity of the grids, expansion is needed.
Power grids have a reserve for exceptional situations, as well as for safe operation in the event of failure. Transporting more current, with higher fluctuations on the production and consumption sides, leads to heavier utilization of the grids at all voltage levels. Smart grids, smart meters, new concepts for standard exchanges and more flexible pricing models help with the urgent need to increase flexibility.
Wind plants, solar plants, electrical storage devices, electrolysis plants, charging infrastructure for electric vehicles and many other consumers have one thing in common: They are powered with direct current or supply direct current. The use of power-electronic inverters will increase in the future. Increasing automation of the grids can also be expected. The requirements here remain the same: secure grid operation with high current quality and voltage quality.
