YES from ESTELA – The European Solar Thermal Electricity Association – to a reliable pan-European electricity grid. YES to the timely application and commissioning of infrastructures, as the only way to enable the integration of all renewable sources. And YES to effective financial mechanisms permitting the necessary energy transport corridors to achieve Europe’s long-term targets.
Europe does have the renewable energy generation capacity and a clear vision of its huge potential. Now we need to improve the means to best adapt to this growing renewable energy mix, profiting from the advantages given, such as the Solar Thermal Electricity dispatchability through its on-site storage capacity. We must as well quickly remove energy bottlenecks to establish a proper functioning internal electricity market to boost Europe’s growth and climate change action.
We emphasize the importance of a major expenditure of the 9.1 bn from the Connecting Europe Facility in electricity transport generated from renewable sources, as Europe’s energy and economic strategy are set to ensure security of supply and sustainability through a necessary low-carbon future.
The European Photovoltaic Industry Association (EPIA) supports the call for grid infrastructure improvements as a way to strengthen Europe’s single market in electricity. EPIA is pleased to join a coalition of industry groups from across the whole energy spectrum in calling for EU action.
It’s clear that Europe’s electricity grid needs updating, but not just because of the growing importance of photovoltaics and other renewables. Europe’s energy mix is changing in a lot of ways and its grid will have to be enhanced to better integrate new decentralised energy sources and to cope with new consumption modes that modify the electricity demand pattern – electric vehicles or heat pumps, to name two examples.
For the EU, updating the grid is a win-win proposition: it will ensure security of energy supply and reinforce the efficient integration of renewables, but it will also help Europe to achieve its important goals of climate change reduction and sustainable economic growth.
Europe’s future grid needs to be reliable, affordable and publicly acceptable. The European Wire & Cable Industry, a global technology leader, offers high quality transmission technologies to facilitate the necessary upgrading. High voltage power cables will be a key component of Europe’s future grid: in partially undergrounded sections of extra high voltage AC transmission projects or in future long distance high voltage DC transmission lines. Undergrounding can be a response to local concerns and thereby facilitate a faster completion of grid projects. This is a precondition for the ‘free movement of electricity’. Dr. Volker Wendt, Director Public Affairs, Europacable.
“The interconnection of Europe’s national power markets will be one of the deciding factors in ensuring that Europe’stransition to a low-carbon economy is both technically and economically feasible and efficient.
As the EU’s power system transitions to higher and higher percentage of renewables, the ability to move power efficiently from where it is generated to where it is needed will be vital in ensuring the most optimal use of our renewable resources.
The EU super-grid will also be vital in creating the physical infrastructure for the integration of Europe’s national power markets, benefitting consumers and businesses through more competitive, low-carbon energy provision.
The super-grid can make a significant contribution to helping Europe reach its goal of reducing greenhouse gas emissions by 80-95% by 2050, and thereby making an important contribution to the avoidance of dangerous climate change.” Tim Nutall, Media Manager, European Climate Foundation.
EWEA strongly believes that a single market in electricity – including an upgraded, extended and better interconnected grid – is vital for Europe to deliver renewable energy from where it is produced to where it is needed.
EWEA has a vision for a European power system that by 2050 operates with 100% renewable energy. Wind power could meet 50% of Europe’s power needs by then, harnessing wind power onshore and offshore. In a fully interconnected European electricity system, wind power would be balanced by solar power, biomass and hydro power, plus other technologies such as wave and tidal power.
Europe would have a power system that would be clean, would not rely on imported fossil fuels, and would not be at the mercy of the increasing fuel costs. Instead Europe’s power would come from its own sustainable resources, generating investment in and jobs for Europe.
In addition, EWEA would welcome the competition created by a single market in electricity because the wind industry is confident that wind power is fully competitive with other technologies.
