100-percent renewable German energy system possible – study

Powering a large country like Germany entirely with renewable energy is possible, and could even be cheaper than conventional energy sources, according to a study by the Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT). Technical solutions for all of the well-known problems that come with “a full energy transition” already exist, says co-author and physicist Tom Brown in a KIT press release. Blackouts are not a problem either, Brown says, as renewables could be used to create hydrogen or methane gas reserves stored for emergencies or times of low output from wind and solar power plants.

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

See the CLEW factsheets on sector coupling and How can Germany keep the lights on in a renewable energy future? for background.