Alpine hydro power “a pillar of the Energiewende”

There is a consensus in Germany to gradually shift the energy supply to renewable sources and to reduce primary energy consumption - but the central question of energy storage is often bypassed, says Nicolaus Römer, head of hydro power company Schluchseewerk AG, in a commentary for business website Springer Professional. While there are efforts to store wind power produced in northern Germany in Norwegian hydro power plants, similar solutions for Germany’s industrialised south are lacking, Römer argues. “Alpine hydro power offers huge storage capacities and a huge installed capacity,” he says, adding that this vast potential close to southern industry centres is often overlooked. The Energiewende is a challenge “that we can only overcome with all existing technologies”, Römer argues.

Read the commentary in German here.