Germany hits 59% renewable peak, grid does not explode

Wind and solar power peaked at 59.1 percent of German power generation earlier this month. It happened at noon on a very windy and sunny October 3 -- the German holiday commemorating reunification. (Germany hit 61 percent, a record, and 59 percent peaks earlier this year.)

Solar and wind provided 36.4 percent of total electricity generation over the entire day with PV accounting for 11.2 percent.   The electrical grid appears intact but electricity prices took a tumble. According to an analysis by Bernard Chabot of BCCONSULT, low demand from large conventional power plants drove the electricity price index covering Germany, Austria, France and Switzerland to 2.75 cents per kilowatt hour at 2:00 pm.

Some more stats from Chabot's report

-- Solar and wind furnished a total of more than 436 gigawatt-hours.

-- At peak, solar furnished 20.5 gigawatts with wind peaking at 16.6 gigawatts.

-- Conventional power plants had to ramp down to 23 gigawatts at about noon.

We recently reported on an NREL study specific to one U.S. regional grid (the Western Interconnection), that found the costs of backing-up and integrating wind and solar are far less than the benefits of the renewables. We've reported on the utility model under threat by renewables. And we've heard from grid experts who see the European grid as strained and soon-to-be challenged by the onslaught of renewables.