A German university has shown that renewable energy can meet Germany’s power needs round the clock wihout using nukes or coal. They do this by linking wind, solar, hydro and bio-gas plants together in a grid to maintain steady power. The grid can also store power. Methane produced from bio-gas is used when needed to create power while excess wind energy is used to pump water uphill into a reservoir where it then can be released to power hydro.
The experiment provides enough energy to meet 100% of the annual needs of a small town with 12,000 households. Says Professor Jürgen Schmid of the University of Kassel.