"Embracing a Decentralized Power Grid: The Future Is Island Networks, Not Giant Copper Plates"
Expansive Infrastructure for Renewable Energy Sources
Want more clean power? Klaus Mindrup, energy expert, thinks we're barking up the wrong tree with gas power plants. Instead, he advises looking abroad - particularly at California. Mindrup insists that the solution lies in island networks, local price signals, combined heat and power, and good old-fashioned batteries.
Don't believe gas power will solve our problems? Mindrup isn't convinced either. He cautions that the current political approach resembles a game of Whac-a-Mole. Energy is split between sectors - electricity, heat, transport - and strategies are planned as if each were an individual problem. Doing so, Mindrup argues, results in costlier solutions than we need.
"The German power grid isn't perfect," Mindrup states. Although the basic idea of a robust grid that allows seamless electricity transfer from Flensburg to Garmisch-Partenkirchen sounds appealing, it ain't so simple. The reality is, power plants and demand aren't balanced in different regions, and the grid requires constant repair as a result of this imbalance.
Network operators argue that problems will vanish with expansion. Mindrup thinks this is naive, given that annual solar expansion often doubles the planned capacity increase for high-voltage direct current lines over the next decade. A power grid configured to accommodate renewables? Mindrup surmises that that's not possible - ever.
Instead of pouring money into solutions that won't work, Mindrup supports cellular grid systems. Such an approach allows even small grids to connect incrementally, providing stability and efficiency compared to massive, unstable grids. Plus, local trading helps eliminate redispatch costs.
Speaking of local trading, batteries are the way to go. As a versatile tool, batteries store energy, discharge it, stabilize the grid, and compensate for reactive power - just to name a few benefits. Alas, batteries remain underappreciated in Europe, despite their significance in California.
Oh, and those gas power plants? Mindrup advises cleverly placing combined heat and power plants, integrating them with heat storage, and using them to stabilize the system. This would reduce network expansion costs and electricity demand, all while meeting our growing needs for heat and power.
So, let's ditch that expensive German sanctuary, folks. We're far better off embracing technological advancements and adopting a more flexible mindset that accepts renewable energy's unique quirks. America, it seems, might just be leading the way.
In light of Mindrup's suggestions, it would be prudent to reconsider the expansion of gas power plants. Instead, we could focus on integrating renewable-energy sources and adopting industrial strategies that promote the growth of the renewable-energy industry, including finance and policy implementations. Furthermore, the employment policy should be designed to encourage the development and maintenance of cellular grid systems, battery technologies, and combined heat and power plants, which have shown potential in stabilizing small grids and decreasing overall redispatch costs.
