Is repowering with thermal energy storage a technology option to include in Germany’s toolbox to drive decarbonisation?​

The Repower Initiative promotes the reuse of existing coal plant infrastructure with clean energy technology solutions. Thermal energy storage (TES) is emerging as a mature technology, with several commissioned projects across the globe — offering a solution for affordable clean energy storage.

We investigated the role of TES in repowering decommissioned coal power plants in Germany. At a mere 1% system cost increase, the power system benefits were clear:  

💶 Electricity prices: ↓ 2% (from 80 to 78 EUR/MWh)  

🌍 Emissions: ↓ 3% (from 125 to 121 gCO₂/kWh)  

📉 Price volatility: ↓ 3% negative prices, ↓ 10% prices above 200 EUR/MWh  

🛢️ Import dependence: ↓ 3% in natural gas use (from 243 to 237 TWh)  

🌬️ VRE integration: ↑ 3% in wind + solar generation (from 486 to 501 TWh)  

This collaboration between Quantified Carbon and the Repower Initiative marks the first time we employed the full suite of both teams’ in-house tools:  

Opti – Site / sector / technology optimisation  

cGrid – Electricity market model  

RepowerScore – Ranking suitability of each of the world’s coal power plants to repower

Combined with additional system benefits — such as providing high-temperature steam, process and district heat, inertia/stability services, and black-start capabilities — the picture becomes even clearer.  

So, to the question in the headline: Yes!  

Repowering with thermal energy storage is a technology option to include in Germany’s toolbox to drive decarbonisation.  

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