Fewer grid interventions due to oversupply of electricity

In order to prevent the electricity grid from being overloaded, the grid operator Mitnetz 2024 temporarily curtailed the feed-in of electricity from solar and wind power 1,277 times. According to the company, this was fewer interventions than in the previous year (1,395). The corresponding amount of energy had fallen significantly from 413 gigawatt hours in 2023 to 182 gigawatt hours last year. However, the company believes that politicians are called upon to further reduce the number of such interventions.

The main reason for the interventions is the increase in electricity from renewable energies with comparatively low electricity sales in the grid area, explained Mitnetz Managing Director Dirk Sattur. "Particularly on days when the sun is shining brightly and there is a lot of wind, the feed-in has to be repeatedly curtailed in order to ensure grid security."

According to the information, large wind and solar power plants are affected by the interventions. The operators receive compensation for this. Upon request, Mitnetz was initially unable to provide an exact amount for the past year.

The Mitnetz distribution grid covers large parts of Saxony-Anhalt and Saxony, the south of Brandenburg and smaller regions in Thuringia. According to the information, Saxony-Anhalt was most frequently affected by shutdowns. More than half of the interventions (833) were registered there alone.

Requests to politicians

The fact that the number of interventions has fallen despite the further expansion of renewable energies was explained by Mitnetz with investments in the electricity grid. In 2024, this amounted to 426 million euros in the grid area - a record, according to the information provided.

In order to further reduce such interventions to stabilize the electricity grid, politicians must speed up approval procedures for grid expansion, Sattur demanded. "It is also important that political incentives are created for the installation of large electricity storage facilities/battery storage systems, as these can absorb surplus generation volumes."

The targeted establishment of large-scale consumers such as industrial companies, data centers or large charging parks for electromobility would also be helpful. "Last but not least, the expansion of feed-in systems should be promoted primarily in areas with free grid capacity."