Scaling solar photovoltaics into the grid: Challenges and opportunities in Germany

Abstract

To comply with the EU’s new energy and climate targets for 2030, European Member States were required to establish a 10-year strategy for the period from 2021 to 2030. This plan, known as the National Energy and Climate Plan (NECP), was submitted by the end of 2019 and outlines how each EU country intends to tackle energy efficiency, renewable development, greenhouse gas emissions reductions, interconnections, and research and innovation. Shifting towards renewable sources is at the core of this strategy. Among these factors, the grid integration of variable renewable sources presents a significant challenge. In the particular case of Germany, this paper demonstrates that solar photovoltaic power grid integration has been facilitated by biomass, fossil gas, pumped-hydro storage generation, and crucially, cross-border flows. Support from eleven neighboring countries is notably helping with the ramping response required by solar photovoltaics during the evening. This support involves relying on nearby countries to manage the challenges of integrating variable renewable sources into the grid.