The decision to phase out coal has been made. The large power plants are being taken off the grid step by step and are to be replaced by solar and wind power, among other things. But this could jeopardize the stability of the power supply. In the worst case, a blackout threatens. “We can’t determine when the sun is shining and when the wind is blowing, but exactly as much electricity must always be produced as is consumed,” explains Dr. Konstantin Wiegandt, physicist and head of algorithmic electricity trading at Europe’s largest renewable energy provider. The central problems of the energy transition are currently still the storage of renewable energy and the balancing of fluctuations. So far, there is a threat of the so-called “Dunkelflaute” when solar and wind power fail their service. Prof. Joachim Seifert is therefore researching decentralized solutions in the Combined Energy Lab at TU Dresden: “Security of supply must not be played off against the energy transition. Our task is to develop technologies that meet both criteria.” Written and directed by Marcel Kolvenbach, sound and music by Wolfram Burgtorf.

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