Although the objectives of the Energiewende (energy transition) are broadly accepted in Germany, the practical ways of\udachieving them remain highly contentious. In particular, the question of whether and how security of supply can\udbe guaranteed over the course of this profound transformation of the energy system is currently the subject of\udcontroversy in the scientific and public debate. Recently, calls for additional payments to power plant operators\udfor providing generation capacity have grown increasingly loud. But the introduction of capacity payments of this sort\udcould have far-reaching consequences for the future organisation of Germany’s electricity supply. Therefore, the political\uddecision on this issue - which is scheduled for this year - should not be made without a sound scientific analysis.\udBasically, measures aimed at guaranteeing security of supply must address the possible causes of capacity shortages as\udbroadly as possible. When designing such measures, besides security of supply, additional objectives such as\udcost-effectiveness and the environmental and social acceptability of electricity supply should also be taken into\udaccount. Capacity payments only partially meet these requirements. Moreover, once introduced, they are difficult to adapt,\udor revise even, to suit changing framework conditions. This is particularly problematic in view of the current lack of clear\udevidence for future security of supply problems. Therefore, introducing capacity payments at this point in time would not\udappear to be constructive. It would make more sense to introduce instead a mix of measures which would strengthen\udthe electricity market, create conditions for feeding in electricity from renewable energy sources as and when required,\udand set incentives for the expansion of grid capacity, storage systems and demand side management. Should security of\udsupply still appear uncertain under these changed framework conditions, the introduction of a strategic reserve, which\udwould be held by the regulatory authority or the transmission system operator, is recommended - not, however,\udthe creation of an entirely new, additional market segment in the form of a capacity market.
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