Energy: wind and solar plants replace gas and coal-fired power plants

Muenster - Last weekend, wind and solar plants contributed significantly to the current supply in Germany.

The graphics below shows how wind and solar energy complete each other. The mean power plant efficiency on an hourly basis is shown for the last weekend (10th and 11th March 2012) in Germany. While the mean demand of power plant capacity in Germany drops down to 43,000 MW (for plants with at least 100 MW), according to data of the energy exchange EEX, the current demand rises to more than 50,000 MW at the named weekend. Wind and solar energy cover a significant part of the current supply within this period. Solar energy, in particular, covers the peak load at noon and thus, helps to save expensive gas-peak load power plants. By employing wind and solar plants, the remaining demand of conventional power plants sinks notably.

Source: IWR Online, 13 Mar 2012