Germany's solar efforts emphasize importance of grid communications

In an E&E News report analyzing the study,Tobias Rothacher at Germany Trade & Invest explained that energy storage systems will be key to unlocking the full potential of the record-breaking solar power generation happening in the nation.

"Nowadays we also need fossil fueled power plants in case the weather is not so good," Rothacher told the news source. "Over time, we need to have more flexibility, and that means we need to store this [solar] electricity."

The network's role in making the most of variable renewable power generation
The problem with using energy storage and other advanced technologies to support variable renewable generation sources is that utility providers rarely actually own the generation sites. Instead they partner with generation sites and use smart meters to access detailed information about user requirements. Moving forward, utilities are increasingly going to need to use predictive analytics to identify power demands at any time, figure out how much energy they can get from various renewable generation partners, smoothly manage distribution throughout the grid, store excess power and release stored energy at the right times.

The network will play a central role in interconnecting all of these grid stakeholders and making sure utility providers can get the data they need to support sophisticated operations.

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