The German wind power experience

E.ON Netz serves a population of 20 million people living in 40 percent of the Germany’s land area. It runs 32,500 kilometers of high voltage power lines, and is responsible for integrating 7,000 megawatts of wind power, nearly half of that installed in all Germany, which has more wind power installed than any other country, including the United States and Denmark.

One of E.ON Netz’s most notable conclusions is that wind energy cannot replace conventional power stations to any significant degree. In the words of the report, “In order to guarantee reliable electricity supplies when wind farms produce little or no power, e.g. during periods of calm or storm-related shutdowns, traditional power station capacities must be available as a reserve. This means that wind farms can only replace traditional power station capacities to a limited degree.”

Manchester Journal