Author: Kerstin Reisch

Sector coupling, and the use of green hydrogen are receiving an important boost – the STOFF2 technology is perfect for this 

On November 10, 2023, the German Bundestag decided to introduce paragraph 13k in the Energiewirtschaftsgesetz (EnWG). “Use instead of curtailment” becomes the requirement when it comes to renewable electricity that cannot be used due to a lack of sufficient grid capacity or low demand for electricity. What does “use instead of curtailment” mean specifically, and what positive effects does this principle have? 

In recent years, the costs of renewable electricity volumes, which are inevitably curtailed by grid operators, have risen massively. In 2022, costs totaling more than 10 billion euros were incurred for renewable energy curtailment and the so-called redispatch, which had to be covered by the federal budget. Redispatch is the name given to switching on coal or gas power plants, particularly in southern and western Germany, when there is a large supply of wind and solar power available which cannot be transported there due to a lack of sufficient grid capacity. The wind farms and PV systems are then switched off, even though there is sufficient demand for electricity, and their operators receive corresponding compensation for their outage. At the same time, electricity from gas and coal-fired power plants must also be compensated. The German Bundestag has now decided on a regulation that will stop the further increase in the costs of unused green electricity and at the same time enable an additional contribution to the ramp-up of the hydrogen economy and climate protection: The new paragraph 13k of the EnWG stipulates that from October 2024 curtailed renewable electricity can be used by highly flexible electricity consumers with a connected load of at least 500 kW through a newly established auction mechanism. Highly flexible and therefore network-friendly systems can absorb this otherwise curtailed energy and use it to convert it for example into green hydrogen. 

STOFF2 welcomes the new regulation decided by the Bundestag. The new paragraph 13k of the EnWG now ushers in a turning point in dealing with renewable electricity quantities that would otherwise be curtailed: instead of leaving them unused in an economically inefficient manner, they will accelerate sector coupling in the future. The use of renewable electricity in the form of green molecules is becoming an equivalent option. The green hydrogen economy will receive an important additional boost. This means that the amounts of electricity that were previously “thrown away” can now be used – for example in the form of green hydrogen from the Zink Zwischenschritt Elektrolyzer (ZZE) from STOFF2. The ZZE technology is technically and economically ideally suited for the use of electricity that would otherwise have to be curtailed: four to six hours of absorption of “curtailed current” enable continuous hydrogen release for up to 20 hours. In this way, a ZZE can generate and provide green hydrogen particularly cost-effectively and in line with demand. The new paragraph 13k enables our customers to use this quality even more intensively.

Our innovative electrolysis technology, the Zinc Zwischenschritt Elektrolyzer (ZZE), can become a decisive building block for the rapid implementation of the political targets for CO2 reduction in all sectors. Together with other technologies, we enable the integration of high shares of fluctuating renewable energies and rapid decarbonisation, especially of all application areas whose direct electrification is complicated, cost-intensive or cannot be implemented quickly enough. At the same time, the right political framework is required so that our customers and partners invest in our systems and thus in the transformation of the energy supply.

As a company, we want to work with our customers to make the greatest possible contribution to the use of renewable energies in all sectors. That is why we consciously engage in regular exchanges with political actors. We are convinced that by transparently communicating our positions we can help shape the political discourse and contribute valuable information to support democratic decision-making processes.

We would like to contribute independently and together with other actors from science, industry and civil society to the process of political decision-making. Our advocacy focuses on three areas of action:

1. rapid expansion of renewable energies in the form of renewable electricity, renewable gases such as hydrogen and green heat. 
2. comprehensive removal of barriers to the expansion of renewable energies, hydrogen and sustainable grid infrastructures.
3. increased and accelerated use of green hydrogen in all sectors that are not yet on a 1.5°C compatible decarbonisation path.

Our position papers and statements can be found here on the website under the filter “Policy”. Furthermore, we document our lobbying in the official register of the German Bundestag. 

If you would like to talk to us, please feel free to speak to Dr. Christian Friebe directly.