Nuclear power is out, and coal will soon be out too. But what if sun and wind don’t provide any energy? Then hydrogen power plants should step in, financed by the state. Can that work? An overview.
2030 may sound like a new decade and a distant future, but it is no longer too far away. In just six years, at least 80 percent of the electricity in Germany should come from renewable sources. Well, when the sun is shining or the wind is blowing, there is plenty of electricity. On dark, windless winter days, however, it is suddenly in short supply. Power plants are supposed to step in to compensate for these fluctuations. Only: The era of nuclear power is over, coal should follow suit by 2030 if possible. In addition, fossil energy sources will probably become significantly more expensive in the future and therefore uneconomical. Now the federal government has finally agreed on how new power plants should prevent bottlenecks. It’s about nothing less than security of supply. Can that work? An overview.