2011 WIND INDUSTRY in gERMany - Wind-Energy-Market

Economic reportGrid integration – Europe’s powersupply depends on the expansion ofpower gridsThe course is set for a reorganisation of the energy supply in Germany and Europe. Windand other renewable energies are to be rapidly expanded. This means that the Germanand European power grids need to change. They need to be able to transport energyfrom the power plant capacities that will be installed on the coast and out at sea tothe consumers inland. However, grid expansion is taking longer than planned.Approximately 3,600 kilometres of new380-kV high-voltage lines will be requiredin Germany by 2020 in order to cope withthe increasing amount of renewable energybeing fed into the electricity grid. This wascalculated by the German Energy Agency(dena) in part two of their Grid Study publishedat the end of 2010. The expansion isnecessary because, thanks to the increasein wind power production, a large proportionof power is generated in regions witha relatively low demand for electricity, suchas northern and eastern Germany.The studies represent an important basisfor the expansion of the power grid. Theywere conducted in collaboration with representativesof the wind industry and ofthe grid and power plant operators. In partone of the Grid Study published in 2005,dena concluded that 850 kilometres of newlines would have to be built by 2015. Todate, scarcely 100 kilometres have beenbuilt. The German grid as a whole currentlycomprises approximately 22,000 kilometresof high-voltage lines.The authors of the study investigatedvarious scenarios for the expansion ofthe grids by 2020. Instead of building3,600 kilometres of new high-voltage lines,existing lines could also be upgraded withhigh-temperature conductors. This optionwould only require 1,500 kilometres of newlines, but would be more expensive.The study also shows how the grids can befurther improved beyond simple expansion.The authors assume an installed wind powercapacity of 34,100 megawatts onshore and7,000 megawatts offshore by 2015. Fiveyears later, this would be 37,000 MWonshore and 14,000 MW offshore. To copewith this capacity, smart grids should beused to help disperse loads on the demandside. Because the production of wind andsolar power is subject to significant dailyand seasonal fluctuations, storage systemsshould act as buffers to absorb load peaksand troughs.One important step for the integration ofoffshore wind farms is the German InfrastructurePlanning Acceleration Act of2006. It obliges the transmission systemoperator to connect offshore wind farms tothe grid and allows them to pass on thecosts to all energy customers.Increasing priority is also being given tothe promotion of electricity trading acrossEuropean borders. The European WindEnergy Association EWEA sees this as acontinuation of the European vision: nowthat the free exchange of goods, services,capital and employment has become established,it would be in the interests of citizensalso to guarantee the free exchangeof energy.28 Wind industry in Germany