e-Solar Concept – This way, the energy turnaround can succeed!
There is scientific evidence that man-made climate change is accelerating. NASA has shown this very clearly on their website[1]. How much time we have left to counter is controversial. However, it is clear that the sooner we get our energy emission-free, the greater will be our chances of mastering the consequences of climate change. Therefore, the rapid success of the energy turnaround is rightly one of the central demands of the "Fridays for Future[2]" - and the "Scientists for Future[3]" - movement. The energy turnaround will change many aspects of our lives: our energy supply, our mobility and large parts of industrial production. In 2018, we had a share of more than 40% [4] of renewable energies in electricity generation, and by the end of 2019 it might have been just under 50%. If we want to fully rely on renewable energies for power generation, we will have to roughly double the regenerative share. At the same time, this should be done without overburdening our electricity grids and us financially.
However, electricity generation in Germany[5] contributes with284 million tonnes just over one third of total German CO2 emissions. So if we want to switch to 100% renewable energy, not only in electric power generation but also in sectors such as transport and industry, we will not only need to generate twice as much electricity from renewables to just make electricity production CO2-free but about six times as much to get all sectors, including transport and industry, emission-free!
The most elegant way to do this is to rely on electricity as the main resource. It is therefore very interesting and helpful that a lot has happened in the storage of electricity and in photovoltaic power generation, especially in recent times. These recent developments will fundamentally change our energy mix, and we should be quick in order to have the maximum benefit of this new situation. The rapid expansion of electromobility is an essential building block for the transition of our electricity generation to regenerative sources. If vehicles can not only be charged at electric filling stations (at home or at the workplace), but if they also can supply power to the grid by injection of a part of their energy content will result in completely new possibilities. Therefore, the rapid expansion of electromobility parallel to the ecological transformation of electrical energy production is one of the most important keys to the success of the energy transition. In the following, therefore, photovoltaics, electromobility and ultimately the intelligent power grid are discussed in more detail as important pillars of the energy transition.
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[2] https://fridaysforfuture.de/
[3] https://www.scientists4future.org/
[4] https://www.energy-charts.de/ren_share_de.htm?year=all&source=ren-share&period=annual
[5] The number of: https://www.umweltbundesamt.de/daten/energie/stromerzeugung-erneuerbar-konventionell#textpart-1 multiplied with the number of: https://de.statista.com/statistik/daten/studie/38897/umfrage/co2-emissionsfaktor-fuer-den-strommix-in-deutschland-seit-1990/