MUNICH (dpa-AFX) - According to a study, a secure power supply will also be possible in the future without continuous, so-called base-load power plants that are operated with nuclear fuel, for example. This is the conclusion of a study by the "Energy Systems of the Future" (ESYS) project. It is backed by the German National Academy of Sciences Leopoldina, the German Academy of Science and Engineering Acatech and the Union of the German Academies of Sciences and Humanities.

According to the statement, base load power plants would no longer achieve their former great importance due to the availability of sufficiently cost-effective alternatives. However, this does not mean that they will no longer be considered as part of the energy supply in the future. "If they meet the economic, safety and climate policy requirements, they could represent a valuable addition to the energy supply base," said the authors of the study.

Are nuclear fission, natural gas, geothermal energy or nuclear fusion beneficial?

The study investigated whether the use of continuously operating power plants in a climate-neutral energy system in 2045 would bring advantages for the German and European energy supply. The low-greenhouse gas technologies assessed were nuclear power plants, natural gas power plants with CO2 capture, geothermal energy and nuclear fusion.

The study comes to the conclusion that a reliable, climate-friendly power supply is possible through a "combination of solar and wind energy with storage, flexible electricity consumption" and on-demand power plants. "The expansion of renewable energies and the European electricity and hydrogen grids is likely to cover the electricity demand and most of the hydrogen demand within Europe," it says in a 55-page "Impulse".

Experts see cost risks with base load technologies

However, model calculations also showed that base-load power plants could be integrated into an energy system dominated by solar and wind energy. "Their electricity could be used for electrolysis in times of low demand and thus reduce hydrogen imports." However, they had little impact on the expansion and development requirements of the electricity and hydrogen grids, and the switch to electromobility and heat pumps would have to remain unchanged. Their benefits would primarily arise if they were more economical than their alternatives.

The experts do not expect baseload power plants to reduce the overall costs of energy supply. "For baseload power plants to lead to a substantial reduction in costs, their costs would have to fall significantly below the level forecast today," emphasized Karen Pittel, Head of the Ifo Center for Energy, according to a press release. "In fact, we estimate that the risks of cost increases and delays in baseload technologies tend to be even higher than with the further expansion of solar and wind energy."/tob/DP/nas