Assuming we could build a power grid that is mostly powered by solar, wind and storage, how much would it cost and how much more would it cost if we did it in deliberately sub-optimal ways? To answer this question, we are using the configuration from a previous system cost optimization , based on a combination of wind and solar generation, backed by a hybrid storage in order to cover 100% of the hourly load. The hybrid storage consists of Li-ion style batteries for fast and efficient short duration storage combined with inefficient but cheap hydrogen underground storage. The goal of this new simulation is to see how much the system cost increases if any of the production and/or storage technologies are removed from the optimal mix. As an example, we are using current hourly load and Wind/PV generation forecast for the Germany bidding zone from the ENTSO-E transparency platform . Then we use a linear program to scale up the current production levels and add storage conf...