“Power grid not ready for e-car boom”

The power grid in southern German states Bavaria and Baden-Wuerttemberg is not ready to cope with a large increase of electric vehicles, news agency dpa says in an article carried by website General-Anzeiger online. Industry experts estimate that the higher electricity demand associated with an increased use of e-cars – up to 25 percent more in Bavaria – and also heat pumps will boost the grid’s peak loads while power production in southern German states is falling, the article says. Once Germany’s last nuclear plant ceases operation in 2022, power demand in the region might decisively exceed supply, local utility representatives argue. Furthermore, the power transmission highways that are meant to transport northern Germany’s surplus wind power to the south will not be finished before 2025, the article says.

Find the article in German here.

See the CLEW dossier The energy transition and Germany’s power grid for background.