An interconnected transmission grid in Europe would result in lower prices and greater levels of clean energy. But several nations are falling behind on export capacity leading to some member states looking beyond the Union’s borders
Pandemic recovery funds may be put towards increasing the flow of electrons between neighbours
PRIVATE POWER Europe’s cable companies are investing in production capacity to meet anticipated demand
FURTHER AFIELD Countries on Europe’s border frustrated by a lack of progress inside the Union are analysing opportunities outside of the block to improve interconnectivity
KEY QUOTE The growing renewables share in the power mix leads to fundamental changes in power flows, which requires new forms of load management and new power grid models ...
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No matter how much wind and solar power is generated, the energy transition cannot be achieved without a built-for-purpose electricity infrastructure. Gaps in the interconnections of Europe’s grid network and lack of capacity on the wires where it is needed most will halt green electrification of energy.
Power capacity markets on both sides of the Atlantic face an uncertain future as flexibility becomes a hotter commodity than capacity.
A new transmission line across the Baltic Sea shows that a more integrated European power network is not only steadily evolving, but that innovative approaches to infrastructure design can bring down the cost of the energy transition.
This interview with Ole Bigum, head of operations at K2 management, a Danish consultancy providing engineering services for developers of wind and solar power, is part of a series of interviews that FORESIGHT will publish ahead of the Clean Energy Ministerial (CEM9) and Nordic Clean Energy Week (NCEW), which will take place in Copenhagen and Malmo in May 2018.
Without a European grid up to the task of not only meeting more demand for electricity, but also assimilating it from distributed renewables, green electrification of heating and transport is stymied from the start. Decarbonisation requires new infrastructure, yet the public is having none of it.
Schleswig-Holstein, Germany is testing how a 100% renewable power system can be achieved with internal low voltage distribution networks, flexible consumption and generation from local production points
As economic activity declined under the pandemic so did demand for electricity. Fossil fuel generation was squeezed off the grid by renewable energy projects with lower marginal costs. Fears that the higher proportion of fluctuating supply would destabilise power systems proved unfounded and grids remained stable. If renewables are to be tasked with keeping the grid secure, alternative mechanisms, already available, must be introduced soon