Think small - Das deutsche Stromnetz als Hindernis für die Energiewende

Schlesewsky Lisa

Abstract

The liberalisation of the European electricity market and the German Energiewende result in rising challenges for the German electricity grid. In the following, I show that the German electricity grid as a common-pool-resource (CPR) is not able to keep up with those challenges. The outcome of this is an overuse of the maintenance and services of the electricity infrastructure. Hence, the strengthening of renewable energy is disturbed and the transition in the context of the Energiewende is retarded. Self-managed local CPRs are introduced as an ideal type of a regulatory solution because of their advantages in terms of monitoring and users' responsibility, faster and more efficient decision-making and a higher innovation ability. Furthermore, local CPRs as a Closed Access approach can help to overcome the problems of overuse and can be a sustainable and selfmanaged alternative to central electricity infrastructure without continuing regulatory measures. The latter is analysed by the design principles of local CPRs of Ostrom.