Abstract: For controlling a cooling device with limited power during the cooling of an apparatus which generates waste heat to a variable extent over each of a plurality of operating periods, a maximum temperature is defined individually for different operating periods from among the operating periods such that a maximum power of the cooling device that occurs upon the control of the power of the cooling device, in order to limit a detected actual temperature (actT) of the apparatus to the defined maximum temperature, during the respective operating period complies with a predefined power of the cooling device.