ABSTRACT

Germany first generated electricity in a power plant

125 years ago. The existing German power grid is a

result of the increasing electricity use during the last

100 years. For the better part of that period the grid

development was organized by integrated, regional

monopolies. The promise of 100 % supply at any

time, i.e. stability of the grid, was valued over cost

efficiency in the monopoly years, because the costs

simply could be rolled over to the consumer prices.

Germany experienced no blackouts in those years,

due to high backup capacities.