Developing the Renewable Energy Platform

Based on the Federal Government’s energy plan, the Federal Ministry of the Environment (BMU) and the Federal Ministry of Economics initiated the Renewable Energy Platform in April 2012. The platform, which is made up of three working groups and a steering committee chaired since July 2014 by the Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Energy (BMWi), serves as a forum for dialogue, bringing forward the necessary plans for network expansion and renewable energy development within the framework of the German energy transition.

The platform aims to foster dialogue among leading experts from politics, economics, academia and civil society in order to identify challenges and create concrete solutions related to renewable energy development within the energy transition. In particular, smooth and cost-effective development of overall energy production is sought, along with strengthened coordination with individual states and communities. Within this undertaking, adelphi is assisting in content management and supporting the continued development of the platform.

Three employees of adelphi are supporting the project on site. One focus is on the preparation and post-processing of meetings of the three working groups on market and system integration of renewable energies, the interplay of network expansion and the development of renewable energies and the interaction between renewable and conventional energy supply. Furthermore, they also provide technical and organisational support to the platform’s steering committee and and make it known to the public.

- On the structure of the Renewable Energies Platform - Reports of the Renewable Energies Platform (all in German) - Presentations of the Working Group on Interaction

The three working groups are dealing with the following topics:

WG 1: Basic conditions for renewable energies

Working Group 1 is meant to develop proposals for regulations that can contribute to a further development of renewable energies in a way that complies with the objectives of the energy concept, is cost effective and carried out in accordance with the adaptability of the entire system, in particular the networks (system optimisation). Therefore, it is discussed in the Working Group, which instruments (in particular in the Renewable Energy Law) and what amendments implemented at the federal and state level can contribute to reaching these objectives.

WG 2: Coordinating plans for the expansion of renewable energies

The objective of Working Group 2 is to coordinate the expansion plans of the federal government and the federal states for renewable energies in order to prevent as far as possible competing developments that could lead to inefficiencies.

WG 3: Interaction between renewable energies, conventional energy supply and energy demand

The main objective of Working Group 3 is to identify concrete solutions for the optimised interaction of renewable energies, conventional power generation and energy demand, taking into account the EU context. In that context, the electricity market design shall be further developed so as to ensure that three objectives are met:

- To integrate renewable energies and conventional power plants, - To maintain security of supply, and - To minimise costs.

On the structure of the Renewable Energies Platform: 1. Priorities and structure of the Renewable Energies Platform; 2. Participants of the steering committee 

- Reports of the Renewable Energies Platform (all in German) Report of the Renewable Energies Platform to the chancellor and the minister-presidents of the federal states (pdf, as of 02.11.2012) 
- Report of the WG on Interaction to the steering committee of the Renewable Energies Platform, the chancellor and the minister-presidents of the federal states (pdf, as of 15.10.2012) 
- Annex to the Report of the WG interaction: Potentials of and barriers to flexibility options (pdf, as of 15.02.2012) 
- Final Report of the Special Workshop of the Renewable Energies Platform(pdf, Stand 31.03.2013)
English: 
- Report by Working Group 3 on Interaction to the Steering Committee of the Renewable Energies Platform, the Federal Chancellor and the Minister-Presidents of the Federal states (pdf, as at 15 October 2012) 
- Annex of the Report: Potential of and Barriers to Flexibility Options (pdf, as of 15 October 2012)

Presentations of the Working Group on Interaction of the Renewable Energies Platform (all in German)

Session 1

•    Prof. Dr. Michael Sterner / Technische Hochschule Regensburg 
•    Dr. Frank Sensfuß / Fraunhofer-Institut für System- und Innovationsforschung 
•    Dr. Christoph Maurer / Consentec GmbH 
•    Dr. Christian Nabe / Ecofys Deutschland GmbH 
•    Dr. Michael Ritzau / BET GmbH 
•    Meg Gottstein / The Regulatory Assistance Project 

Session 2

•    Florian Leber / Bundesverband der Energie- und Wasserwirtschaft e.V. 

Session 3

•    Dr. Michael Ritzau / BET GmbH 
•    Dr. Christian Nabe / Ecofys Deutschland GmbH 
•    Prof. Dr. Christian von Hirschhausen / Technische Universität Berlin 
•    Markus Peek / r2b energy consulting GmbH 

Session 4

•    Dr. Marco Nicolosi / Ecofys Deutschland GmbH 
•    Dr. Frank Sensfuß / Fraunhofer-Institut für System- und Innovationsforschung 
•    Markus Peek / r2b energy consulting GmbH 

Special Workshop

•    Prof. Dr. Karen Pittel / ifo-Institut 
•    Wilfried Koeplin / BAYER AG 
•    Frank Petzold / Verband kommunaler Unternehmen e.V. 
•    Gerd Krieger / Verband Deutscher Maschinen- und Anlagenbauer Power Systems 
•    Dr. Volker Oschmann / Bundesumweltministerium: Einleitung der Sitzung 
•    Dr. Christian Nabe / Ecofys Deutschland GmbH: Systematisierung der Kopplungsvorschläge 
•    Dania Röpke / Bundesumweltministerium: Erfahrungen mit der Direktvermarktung 
•    Dr. Karsten Neuhoff/ Deutsches Institut für Wirtschaftsforschung: Kopplung von konventionellen und erneuerbaren Energien 
•    Markus Peek / r2b energy consulting GmbH: Anforderungen an ein zukunftsfähiges Strommarktdesign