On Sunday, May 8, Germany hit a new high in renewable energy generation. Thanks to a sunny and windy day, at one point around 1pm the country’s solar, wind, hydro and biomass plants were supplying about 55 GW of the 63 GW being consumed, or 87%.

Power prices actually went negative for several hours, meaning commercial customers were being paid to consume electricity.

Last year the average renewable mix was 33%, reports Agora Energiewende, a German clean energy think tank. New wind power coming online should push that even higher.

“We have a greater share of renewable energy every year,” said Christoph Podewils of Agora. “The power system adapted to this quite nicely. This day shows again that a system with large amounts of renewable energy works fine.”

Critics have argued that because of the daily peaks and troughs of renewable energy—as the sun goes in and out and winds rise and fall—it will always have only a niche role in supplying power to major economies. But that’s looking less and less likely. Germany plans to hit 100% renewable energy by 2050, and Denmark’s wind turbines already at some points generate more electricity than the country consumes, exporting the surplus to Germany, Norway and Sweden.

Germany’s power surplus on Sunday wasn’t all good news. The system is still too rigid for power suppliers and consumers to respond quickly to price signals. Though gas power plants were taken offline, nuclear and coal plants can’t be quickly shut down, so they went on running and had to pay to sell power into the grid for several hours, while industrial customers such as refineries and foundries earned money by consuming electricity.

Read more news/updates here: http://www.todaynewsreview.com/p/340/germany-had-so-much-renewable-energy-on-sunday-that-it-had-t

55gigawatt.....
buhari.....see ya life

Places where things work,a true human society and not a zoo!!!!

Places where things work,a true human society and not a ZOO!!!!

See life

Assuming our own they pay us for darkness e for better

mehn! why God dump me for this usless country. 5gig! when my country still dey struggle to enter 1mb.
God if I've offended you in anyway pls forgive me so when i come back to this world i wont branch africa talkless Nigeria.

Compare this to what is obtainable in Nigeria and you will come to a conclusion the Nigeria would be better if use as farm land and mining/exploration ground and not for permanent human inhabitant.

It really sound unbelievable but that is the gospel truth, those guys have gone miles away from us in terms of development.

They are talking about Giga watt while we are here struggling with few Mega watt, (1000MW=1GW).

I just weep for this country.