Wednesday 21 February 2018

‘Europe must upgrade grid to hit renewable target’

If Europe is to achieve its goal of a 35% renewable energy mix by 2030, then investments in electricity grids need to scale up and become more strategic.

That's the suggestion from the Renewables Grid Initiative (RGI) and WindEurope, which say although smart grids, demand response technologies, flexible wind farms and battery storage are helping do this, upgrades are required to secure significant cost savings.

The organisations say renewable energy producers and grid operators need to work together more closely to jointly plan the development of new transmission lines.

They say these plans should take into consideration the expansion of renewables, the electrification of other sectors and environmental and social impacts.

The RGI and WindEurope also suggest the EU must prioritise funding power grids over gas grids, as the electrification of heating, transport and industry is essential to decarbonise.

Thirdly, the groups call for the software used in power markets to be better utilised, for instance ‘grid support services’ which allow intermittent generators to adjust supply according to demand.