Sector Coupling

Our economy, which was previously based on fossil resources, has a convenient advantage. Fossil fuels and raw materials are continuously available in the first approximation. It is true that political upheavals, when there is sabre-rattling somewhere over oil stocks, can create market shortages. Also, from time to time, a lignite mine may be frozen. But on the whole, nowhere has oil, gas or coal really run out so far. And because it is so beautifully comfortable and still lucrative for many, it takes enormous efforts to change it.

In the case of solar energy, it is not completely to be dismissed that night-time power generation with long-term high forecast certainty is zero. At least locally. The sun is shining on the other half of the world. There are also clouds, snow and other imponderables. With the wind it gets a bit stochastic.

Which brings us to the challenge. Depending on the climate zone, people want to sit in the warm or cool, watch TV. Factories have to produce. Goods are to be transported, planes are to fly, 24 hours a day. It is true that somewhere the sun is always shining, or the wind is blowing. In any case, on a global scale. But no one can build and pay for the power cables to chase these amounts of energy around the globe. And not everything can be solved with an electric engine or heating devices. Huge amounts of fossil fuels and raw materials in chemistry and steel production have to be replaced and much more.

So it needs many and, above all, intelligent solutions. We are also dealing with this.

The power cables mentioned above should be used as effectively as possible. And can then feed in much more energy if you think creatively. The combination of PV and wind generation at the same grid feed-in point enables considerable photovoltaic expansion without expanding the power grid. We planned one of the first combined projects in Germany (25 MW wind plus 20 MW PV) and convinced the grid operator of the advantages. Particularly tricky is the question of the simultaneity of PV and wind generation. As an accredited wind expert and with the experience of many PV yield assessments, we were able to solve this.

We have also already gained experience in the planning of ground-mounted PV with connected power storage.

We have worked extensively in the field of Power-to-X. Be it in studies on the production costs of alternative fuels or the costs of hydrogen in the production in wind- and sun-rich regions of the world including the conceivable transport infrastructure.