Zukünftige Energie- und Industriesysteme
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The global land area required to meet the German consumption of agricultural products for food and non-food use was quantified, and the related greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, particularly those induced by land-use changes in tropical countries, were estimated. Two comprehensive business-as-usual scenarios describe the development corridor of biomass for non-food use in terms of energetic and non-energetic purposes. In terms of land use, Germany was already a net importer of agricultural land in 2004, and the net additional land required by 2030 is estimated to comprise 2.5–3.4 Mha. This is mainly due to biofuel demand driven by current policy targets. Meeting the required biodiesel import demand would result in an additional GWP of 23–37 Tg of CO2 equivalents through direct and indirect land-use changes. Alternative scenario elements outline the potential options for reducing Germany's land requirement, which reflect future global per capita availability.
In recent years, many energy scenario studies have proven that a power supply system based on renewable energies (RE) >90 percent is feasible. However, existing scenarios differ significantly in the composition of generation technologies. Some scenarios focus on wind energy in the northern part of Europe, others base on a large utilisation of solar technologies in the south. Apart from the generation capacities, the needed technical flexibilisation strategies such as grid extension, demand flexibilisation and energy storage are generally known and considered in many scenarios. Yet, the impact of different renewable generation strategies on the local utilisation of flexibility options needs to be further assessed. Based upon the BMBF research project RESTORE2050, analyses have been carried out that focus on these interdependencies. The results of the project show that the local utilisation of flexibilisation options depends to a great extent on the technology focus of the long-term renewable expansion strategy. This applies for the spatial flexibilisation as provided by transnational interconnection capacities, especially the ones connecting regions with a surplus of power generation (e.g. GB, Norway and Spain). Another impact of the renewable scenario is seen on the required temporal flexibilisation of electricity generation and demand. In addition, the available options will compete for high utilisation in a future energy system. The differences in the utilisation of these applications, which base on the varying shares of photovoltaic (PV) and wind energy generation, lead to the conclusion that the decision about longterm RE expansion ought to be made very soon in order to avoid inefficient flexibility pathways. Otherwise, if the future RE structure will be kept open, adequate adoption of new flexibility options will be difficult, especially in case of technologies with long lead and realisation time (e.g. new power grids and large scale energy storage devices).
"Energiewende", which roughly translates as the transformation of the German energy sector in accordance with the imperatives of climate change, may soon become a byword for the corresponding processes most other developed countries are at various stages of undergoing. Germany's notable progress in this area offers valuable insights that other states can draw on in implementing their own transitions. The German state of North Rhine-Westphalia (NRW) is making its own contribution to achieving the Energiewende's ambitious objectives: in addition to funding an array of "clean and green" projects, the Virtual Institute Power to Gas and Heat was established as a consortium of seven scientific and technical organizations whose aim is to inscribe a future, renewable-based German energy system with adequate flexibility. Thus, it is tasked with conceiving of and evaluating suitable energy path options. This paper outlines one of the most promising of these pathways, which is predicated on the use of electrolytically-produced hydrogen as an energy storage medium, as well as the replacement of hydrocarbon-based fuel for most road vehicles. We describe and evaluate this path and place it in a systemic context, outlining a case study from which other countries and federated jurisdictions therein may draw inspiration.
Energy systems with high shares of renewable electricity are feasible, but require balancing measures such as storage, grid exchange or demand-side management to maintain system stability. The demand for these balancing options cannot be assessed separately since they influence each other. Therefore, a model was developed to analyze these mutual dependencies by optimizing a concerted use of balancing technologies. This model is presented here. It covers the European electricity system in hourly resolution. Since this leads to a large optimization problem, several options for reducing system complexity are presented. The application of the model is illustrated with a case study outlining the effects of pumped hydro storage and controlled charging of electric vehicles in central Europe.
Wind energy that can neither be fed into the grid nor be used regionally must be curtailed. This paper proposes different options to deal with such surplus wind energy amounts in a time horizon until 2020. It assesses their ability to handle the surplus energy in a sustainable way using a multi criteria analysis. The paper bases on a study that was prepared for the Ministry for Climate Protection, Environment, Agriculture, Nature Conservation and Consumer Protection of North Rhine-Westphalia between 2010 and 2012.
Preventing the worst consequences of climate change would require that GHG emissions be reduced to levels near zero by the middle of the century. To respond to such a daunting challenge, we need to rethink and redesign the currently highly energy-dependent infrastructures of industrial societies and particularly the urban infrastructures to become low- or even zero-carbon cities. Sustainable urban infrastructures need technology. In this paper focused on Western European Cities, we discuss a wide set of technologies in the fields of building, energy and transport infrastructures that can significantly contribute to a reduction of energy and/or GHG emissions and are already available or are in the pipeline. Based on the review of a recent study for the city of Munich, we then present how a mix of these technologies could reduce CO2-emissions by up to 90% for the metropolis of 1.3 million inhabitants and that this strategy could be economically attractive despite a high initial investment.
All of the residential buildings of a city like Munich could be entirely redesigned for EUR 200 per inhabitant annually, which is about one third of an average annual natural gas bill.