The aim is to achieve faster authorisations and intelligent electricity grids so that a rapid response can be made to grid fluctuations. Bollingstedt, a town in northern Germany: The largest battery storage facility in Germany is located here. Project manager Carina von Schleinitz shows me the secrets of the plant. 64 mega-containers, packed with battery technology, guarantee high voltage on demand. Slow coal-fired power stations could soon become obsolete as an energy reserve.

"We are doing pioneering work," smiles the project manager proudly. "Until now, many still lived in a very conventional world in which a quarter of an hour played a significant role (in stabilising the electricity grid). But, we need to react within seconds, because volatile renewables, as the name suggests, generate volatility."

This is precisely why the electricity grids are now being digitalised. However, some network operators are putting on the brakes. There are also conflicts regarding network access. There is a lack of capacity. This is where politicians are called on to adapt the framework conditions. When there is a lot of sun and wind, a lot of renewable energy flows into the electricity grids. To keep the voltage stable, photovoltaic and wind power plants are frequently curtailed. This means that valuable energy remains unutilised. The curtailment brings billions in losses!

Conversely, there is also a problem when it is dark and there is no wind: Then there is a lack of energy. To stabilise the grid, fossil fuel power plants are often ramped up during periods of low wind. But gas and coal threaten the global climate. (Euronews)