Making electricity distribution grids fit for renewable future is “mammoth task” – energy industry

New regional projections for future electricity consumption and production show that Germany’s electricity distribution grid operators will face massive challenges in the coming years of the transition to a climate neutral energy system, said energy industry association BDEW. “The distribution grid operators are facing a mammoth task” as network development will require billions of euros in investment, said BDEW head Kerstin Andreae. The renewable energy share in German electricity consumption is set to rise from 50 percent today to 80 percent by 2030, while the number of electric cars on German roads is set to rise to 15 million by that year, which will also see a massive increase in heat pumps,  said Andreae. “All these new generators, consumers and storage facilities must first be connected to the electricity distribution grid and then intelligently integrated into the electricity system.” She called for the appropriate regulatory framework and said there needs to be enough skilled workers and secure supply chains to make it happen.

A lot of focus regarding German electricity grid expansion lies on the large-scale transmission grid, with major power lines needed to transport electricity from the windy north to the industrial south. However, the distribution grid, which connects to consumers, also plays a key role, as more and more electricity-intensive applications such as e-cars and heat pumps are connected to the network.