Czech Power Grid says solar boom risks blackouts

• 14 years ago (2010-02-16)
• David Flin

Renewables 757

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CEPS AS, the Czech electricity grid operator, said the pace of solar power investment risks overloading the network and driving up prices for consumers. CEPS CEO Petr Zeman said that output from solar panels may overwhelm the grid by 2011, and plants may need to be temporarily disconnected to prevent blackouts. Total solar capacity may reach 3000MW in 2015, six times the level in 2009, and about half the country’s off-peak consumption at summer weekends, the state-run company said.

“We warn investors that their investments might be at risk,” Zeman told a press conference in . “CEPS may have to start phasing out plants to prevent a grid overload in the summer of 2011. When the share of renewables exceeds 1000MW, the stability of the grid will be threatened and we’ll have to switch some sources off.”