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Climate Change and the Vulnerability of Germany’s Power Sector to Heat and Drought

Author

Listed:
  • Alexander Golub
  • Kristina Govorukha
  • Philip Mayer
  • Dirk Rübbelke

Abstract

The effects of extreme weather events and the resilience of the energy sector have become the subject of regulatory initiatives and ongoing research. We demonstrate the vulnerability of the German power sector to climate change and provide a qualitative and quantitative analysis of emerging risks from two types of extreme weather events: droughts and high temperatures. Our analysis is based on datasets covering temperature and drought data for the last 40 years. We present evidence of a higher frequency of power plant outages as a consequence of droughts and high temperatures. To characterize the vulnerability of the power sector we develop a capacity-adjusted drought index. The results are used to assess the monetary loss of power plant outages due to heatwaves and droughts and losses to consumers due to higher wholesale electricity prices and price volatility. An increasing frequency of such extreme weather events will aggravate the observed problem.

Suggested Citation

  • Alexander Golub & Kristina Govorukha & Philip Mayer & Dirk Rübbelke, 2022. "Climate Change and the Vulnerability of Germany’s Power Sector to Heat and Drought," The Energy Journal, , vol. 43(3), pages 157-184, May.
    • Handle: RePEc:sae:enejou:v:43:y:2022:i:3:p:157-184
    DOI: 10.5547/01956574.43.3.agol
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    Cited by:

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    3. Zhuo, Xingxuan & Zhang, Fangyun & Long, Houyin & Lin, Feng, 2025. "Unveiling the drivers of high-frequency carbon price dynamics: A nonlinear fusion approach with irregular events and mixed-frequency data," Energy, Elsevier, vol. 335(C).

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