“Coal-fired power stations are not necessarily a barrier to the expansion of renewable energy”

Old coal-fired power plants can be made more flexible at reasonable expense, allowing countries with a high share of coal-based electricity to make a smooth transition to a climate-friendly energy system, according to a new study by think tank Agora Energiewende.* Minor modifications allowed coal-fired power stations, for example in Germany and Denmark, to increase and decrease their outputs in quarter-hourly intervals, making them more flexible to the fluctuating output of wind and solar power facilities.

Find the press release in English here and the study in English here.

Also see the CLEW factsheet When will Germany finally ditch coal?

*Like the Clean Energy Wire, Agora Energiewende is a project funded by Stiftung Mercator and the European Climate Foundation.