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.
