With its government's decision to pull the plug out of its nuclear energy option in 2022, Germany needs to stock up on investments for its plan to shift to renewable energy and smart grid power generation to supply the country's energy needs, officials from Germany's economic development agency said. According to Germany Trade & Invest, the government is looking into six model regions for developing a standard smart grid plan, and highlighted the set up of the prerequisite information technology structure needed for the plan.
One of the smart grid projects the German federal agency cited was the Regenerative Model Region Harz. Launched in 2008, the aim of the project was to technically and economically develop and integrate renewable energy sources with the use information and communication technology. It also aimed on creating an efficient energy infrastructure with a maximum share of regional renewable energies under market conditions. Participants in the project included German energy provider E.ON and Swedish energy company Vattenfall.
"Smart energy management is a key component of our future energy supply. With one of the world's leading renewable energy industries and a highly innovative I.T. sector, Germany is in an outstanding position to take the lead globally. Investors benefit from excellent conditions here," Germany Trade & Invest's chief executive Dr. Jürgen Friedrich said.
Germany Trade & Invest said the country has been deriving 17 percent of its power needs from renewable sources, citing wind and solar power among them. An example of which is the 48.3-megawatt Baltic 1 project, Germany's first commercial-scale offshore wind farm under German utility firm EnBW. The agency pointed out that a large fluctuating energy supply requires smart grids and energy storage to balance supply and demand, which can be achieved by shifting consumption or storing energy for later use through the use of smart grid technology.
The German government has shown its support in the development of offshore wind projects in the country through a bill created in May to avoid bureaucratic processes that delay the construction of offshore wind farms. Rainer Brüderle, minister of economics and technology, said that the country will be prioritizing on grid expansion, adding that it needs to go along with plans renewable energy usage in 2050. He also announced plans to amend the country's Energy Line Extension Act to facilitate underground cable pilot projects, and called for the development of more carbon capture and storage facilities. (Angelo Nonato P. Cabrera)
Source: Apec-vc
