This autumn, Germany’s electricity system is once again under significant strain. Low solar and wind generation has left the country producing less power than it consumes, increasing reliance on imports. Ironically, with all domestic nuclear plants offline, electricity from French nuclear facilities is now feeding back into the German grid. Throughout much of October, daily production has fallen short of demand.
Current battery storage can supply electricity for only about 30 minutes, and controllable coal and gas plants are not running at full capacity. An emergency coal reserve is only activated in critical situations.
“The clear cause of the supply deficit is the weak wind and solar power production. Germany is urgently dependent on imports,” energy economist Prof. Manuel Frondel from the RWI Leibniz Institute told Bild.
Prof. Andreas Löschel (Ruhr University Bochum) added that when imported electricity is cheaper, taxable coal and gas plants are not always utilized, even though they could help close the supply gap.
To address periods of low renewable output, known as the ‘dark doldrums,’ Economy Minister Katherina Reiche (CDU) proposed building gas-fired power plants with up to 20 gigawatts of capacity. These plants are intended as reserve power, meaning they will not run at full capacity permanently and require state subsidies to remain economically viable. However, according to Spiegel, Brussels has restricted the expansion to only 12–12.5 gigawatts, claiming such plants built with public funding would amount to illegal state aid. Thus the Commission is limiting Germany’s ability to secure reliable backup power.
Andreas Lenz, energy policy spokesman for the European Union, emphasized that secure power is necessary to cover gaps when renewables underperform:
Renewables often supply more electricity than is needed, but in times of little wind and sunshine they supply too little.
By contrast, Social Democrat (SPD) energy expert Nina Scheer insisted that “weather-related fluctuations must increasingly be compensated for through flexibility and storage,” noting that renewable energy and storage solutions are becoming more cost-effective.
The Federal Network Agency warns that up to 36 gigawatts of additional controllable power generation may be needed to ensure energy security.
