File:Usage of newly added renewable power in Germany.webp

English: "The newly added (not the total) renewable electric power is used in different proportions in the four modelled scenarios: for heat pumps, for reducing the load hours of gas-fired power plants, and for other use such as coal phase-out and electromobility. Data are listed in Supplementary Table 7." "Figure 6 shows how the newly added (not the total) renewable electricity is divided and used. In the first two years, the additional wind and PV capacity reduce mostly the load hours of the gas-fired power plants (rather automatically in competitive day-to-day markets). Our hourly resolved modelling shows that this is because in these first years, there are many hours when the sun is shining and/or the wind is blowing, but not enough wind farms and PV capacities are installed to cover grid demand entirely (see Supplementary Note 10). In 2024 and 2025, heat pumps draw 70% of the newly added renewable power in the very fast scenario, which clearly reaches the limits of the model as it assumes sufficient grid expansion. Even though the Federal Network Agency has mandated grid expansion, it does not necessarily mean that sufficient grid capacity will be available everywhere in Germany in 2024 and 2025 (see Methods section). In later years, the renewable power capacities are large enough so that gas-fired power plants only need to run in situations where additional installed wind farms and PV capacities would not help, such as on windless nights. This situation will be reached in about 2030, when the annual share of renewables in electricity generation is about 80%24 (see Supplementary Note 11)."