Background information on the key statements on the development of generation and storage requirements for electrical energy under the aspect of the phase-out of nuclear energy and coal-fired power generation

Residual load is the demand-dependent load minus the sum of supply-dependent generation from renewable energies (RE) and non-influenceable heat-led combined heat and power generation (CHP).

If the residual load takes on negative values, this means a potential generation surplus that can be used, for example, for export, for storage or for covering additional loads within the framework of so-called sector coupling (heating/cooling, electromobility, etc.).

A positive residual load means that the generation from the above-mentioned RE plants is not sufficient to cover the predominantly non-influenceable load and that, to this extent, controllable generation units (incl. storage discharge) have to be started up, electricity imported or controllable loads switched off.

Read more details in the published article.