Electricity and gas grids need to be better aligned in new energy system

Gas and electricity grid infrastructures need to be much better aligned to guarantee the reliability of the future energy system, according to a joint study by electricity grid operator TenneT and gas grid operator Gasunie – the “Infrastructure Outlook 2050”. Electricity and gas can complement each other well, such as through seasonal storage of gas produced from renewable electricity (power-to-gas, PtG). Also, increasing fluctuations in solar and wind energy production can only be smoothed out by integrating the two systems to a greater extent, said the Dutch companies, which have extensive transmission infrastructure in Germany. “We all need to act together now […]. Industry is also a crucial partner in this process. For energy systems are not converted overnight but require sustained, joint efforts,” said TenneT CEO Manon van Beek in a press release. The study calls on governments to create the necessary regulatory framework for the integration of PtG installations into the system.

So far, Germany’s energy transition – the move away from nuclear and fossil fuels and the shaping of a system almost entirely fuelled by renewable energy sources – has largely happened in the electricity sector. Sector coupling refers to the idea of interconnecting the energy consuming sectors – buildings (heating and cooling), transport, and industry – with the power producing sector. The jury is still out on which technologies will be best suited to "electrify" the entire economy, with power-to-gas being a hot contender. Making gas with wind and solar power could provide carbon-neutral fuel for heating and transport, and pave the way for large-scale seasonal energy storage.