The viability of the German energy transition: Mark Jacobson 3 questions answered

LOUKIA Papadopoulos, clean energy Business Council

Those in the field change climate needs no introduction the name of Mark Z. Jacobson. The Director who is atmosphere and energy programme at Stanford University with credited wrote the book on computer modeling for atmospheric changes, as well as a recognized expert in the effects of energy production and a strong supporter of renewable energy.

In 2009 caught Jacobson the attention of people with his co-author article to 100 percent of the planet with renewables, which makes the cover story in the November Scientific American was plan A. Partnered in the year 2012, he with The Avengers Hulk Mark Ruffalo, co-author of the tesseract is here!, an equation of the film Tesseract, unlimited source of energy to renewable energies Huffington Post guest post. Cleantech and comic lovers was the epitome of cool! In addition, his discuss 2010 TED talk with Stewart Brand needs does the world nuclear energy? is a must-watch for any fan of renewable energies.

His work has often ruffled feathers, but for anyone who's driven believes in a future with renewable energy, its unwavering vision and dedicated well-documented attitude that "wind, water and solar technologies can provide 100 percent of the world energy" is the key to move public opinion. Last month, the New York Times published an article, which the Germany's energy revolution program skeptical. Since then I've read each with their own unique thoughts on this subject many other views, but Jacobson opinion was the one, I was still curious. In an interview, three question has Jacobson, what he can do best; You breathe life into the idea that the that often as complicated task of switching to renewable energy sources, in fact, feasible and profitable.

1. What is your on the energy revolution program?

The growth of solar and wind energy promote energy revolution worldwide. The feed-in tariff passed worldwide rising solar penetration, and the solar industry in Germany was booming, to create significant jobs. The growth of the wind in Germany foreign wind as well as a growth of wind manufacturers and the development of bigger and better turbines grow inspired and encouraged.

(2) The New York Times article "Germany on the clean energy of proves complex" it says: "one of the first obstacles includes the whims of power generation, the sources as contradictory and unpredictable as the wind and the Sun, depends. And no one has invented a means of storing energy for very long, which means overwhelming overproduction on some days and crippling shortages on others requiring dismissal on old oil and coal-burning power plants. This undermines the objective of reducing emissions from fossil fuels, which have been linked to climate change again." However, others claim that more coal-fired plants now entered as (at least 20) has started and your work, that this would actually be the case. What is your take on what happens probably on reserve fuel and emissions in this scenario?

The reliability of the grid is only an optimization problem. If fossil generators used to fill gaps, it is only because the current grid is inefficient and health and climate impacts of the fossils are not reflected in the costs of these fuels. It has nothing to do with whether it is possible, is to have reliable grid with wind, water and solar energy. Several groups have shown that it is possible to combine wind and solar, geothermal energy use as a baseload and gaps between demand and supply focused renewable hydropower or stored solar energy a grid offer reliable 99.8 percent and higher. In addition, demand response can help to reduce consumption at peak times. In addition to oversizing the grid with wind and solar energy make it easier match normal electric power demand and with excess wind and solar, hydrogen to produce, could allow heat (as in Denmark) for transport and district for a reliable grid and provide power for other areas of the energy industry.

3. Article also States that the plan has created a burden on Germany's power grid. Quoted a spokesman for the network operator TenneT: "where energy was previously in the State and distributed to small communities, these communities now produce the power and we find a way to have to submit it to the major metropolitan areas. "Everything was upside is." Is this a legitimate concern or a normal step of the changeover of energy systems?

Most people would argue that local energy sources increased jobs on site and energy reliability, especially when an emergency occurs. The fact that the local communities can be produced too much be fixed easily by converting from other sectors of the local energy industry (E.g. heating/cooling, transport, industry) in power.

Jacobson on the late show with David Letterman Wednesday October 9 talk, convert the States, countries and the world, wind, water and solar energy.

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Provision of stability in the renewable energy transition

Troubled German utility group energy Baden-Wurttemberg AG (EnBW) renewable energy capacity in the energy market in the country has announced that it intends to four fossil fuelled power plants due to the increasing volumes close.

Renewable priority in the UK order of merit, the company argues, means, operate fossil fired systems often exclusively as 'marginal ability' makes in periods of peak demand or when renewable energy spending low. This leads to a drastic decline in revenues, she adds.

Highlighting the challenges of gas-fired power stations, EnBW also says that current electricity prices given market, no longer their can cover full operating costs older coal and oil fired power plants. Therefore, you decided thermal sizes close with a total capacity of 668 MW at sites in Marbach and Walheim.

While this is clearly evidence that the penetration of renewable energy see a real shift in the profile of Germany's generation mix - of course in the round applause - it also shows one of the biggest challenges for the utility player in the European electricity market today. It is generally accepted that the economic grounding of half of Europe generation to overturn fleet market capitalization, the last in the years in the field in a not inconsiderable extent has contributed.

It is therefore recommended that in absence of a market mechanism that can support the commercial case, heat capacity, and other flexibility measures, which are relatively rarely used, significant amounts of older, less efficient heat capacity be closed inevitably.

At face value, this is a good thing.

But ironically will probably be this older plants by more expensive, but much more efficient, modern gas-fired plants, which have to fight in order given the high wholesale price of natural gas delivered to compete in Western Europe. Kinky erweise see current market conditions apparently older coal-fired stations with higher capacity far more CO2-friendly plants languish.

Moreover, without intervention, it seems likely that this process of decommissioning of more expensive installation is likely to continue. Potentially, stability margins will be so thin that they are not able to cope with a severe change in renewable energies capacity issue - the lights at which point. This would be a bad thing.

A nation attempting to resolve this issue is the United Kingdom, along with strike revealed his renewable energy prices also recently unveiled plans for a capacity market. Paths connecting to the adoption of a new raft of energy policy in the course of this year that says Department of energy and climate change (DECC) perish in 2014 in operation of measures on gas and other flexible power supply to reduce risks to the security of supply of winter 2018.

After the Department forecast will be current existing generators and invest in new equipment or other services such as demand-side response, bid, the total capacity and, if successful, a reliable payment would get in a year, you agree, that the capacity to provide, the.

Under the terms of the proposals, they are obliged to deliver electricity in periods of system stress or face financial penalties. Meanwhile the cost of capacity are picked by suppliers and ultimately consumer agreements.

The logic behind this capacity of single farm payment could a number of fronts are questioned - not least that so far were only a few firm details or consumers only pay effectively fossil plants hanging around not much most of the time to do. Yet, the prerequisite for a stability mechanism is obviously.

The cumulative capacity of variable capacity continues to grow renewable energy generation, it is important that this transition effectively to ensure integrity is managed to the overall system. And the at least opens the door on accelerating the development of alternatives to the option A: idle also providing a market mechanism, a capacity gas turbines spinning reserve.

To hope that past their due date would get such measures, which used the belching oil-fired horrors lurk on a wider scale in the ancient corners of Europe, it is not. But perhaps more importantly is also boost investments to a range of new "clean" technologies in the problems of stability, in theory gives at least such a market. Grounded, how great candidate smart are grids, multi-national trade and transfer and a variety of other effective grid/generation capacity utilization/management tools store, load shedding.

These are the tools which are urgent, completely necessary and integrate national infrastructures reliable large amounts of renewable generation. And ultimately, the tools are to build a 100-percent renewable energy future.

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