Renewable Energy Policy
Climate and energy security concerns are drivers of a quick transformation towards a largely renewable power sector. The European renewable energy targets foresee an almost doubling of renewable electricity to about 35% between now and 2020. The Renewables-Grid-Initiative promotes the expansion of distributed and bulk renewable energy generation and transmission capacity in Europe.
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The Power Sector is Changing!
New technologies offer the possibility to harvest abundant and sustainable renewable energy sources. With the use of smart technologies, consumers have the possibility to become producers and sellers of electricity and actors in demand-side management. Never before the opportunity for building a sustainable and reliable electricity system has been so great.
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RGI Memorandum of Understanding
Towards an expansion of electricity grids and deployment of innovative grid technology to enable maximum integration of renewables: An Economic, Energy and Climate Security Imperative - The promotion and rapid deployment of a highly efficient and clean energy supply investments into a new pan-European Grid yields a multitude of benefits. It addresses the physical need for the replacement of some ageing grid infrastructure and for new and highly efficient transmission facilities in a continuously merging European liberalised energy market. It addresses concerns on European border congestion of electricity trade and adds a high degree of supply and transmission efficiency. Such a Super and Smart Grid will allow for speedy and efficient implementation and dissemination of large-scale renewables, such as offshore wind from international European waters and large-scale solar from North Africa, into a still scattered national grid system. This is deemed necessary to meet the renewable energy targets set by the EU for 2020 and beyond by putting the EU on track for a maximum integration of renewable energy sources into the power supply system well before 2050...
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Grids for a Sustainable Future
A Super and Smart Grid will allow for speedy and efficient implementation and dissemination of large-scale renewables, such as offshore wind from international European waters and large-scale solar from North Africa, into a still scattered national grid system. This is deemed necessary to meet the renewable energy targets set by the EU for 2020 and beyond. Thousands of kilometers of new transmission lines and cables will need to be built in the coming decades.
Picture: New pylon of TenneT-transpower © TenneT-transpower 2010
For 100% Integration of Renewable Energies
Large amounts of renewables from utility scale and small, decentralised units are starting to be integrated in the European power grid. This trend will continue and it can be expanded to reach very high percentages of renewables, even 70 to 100%, if society continues to support these changes. Over time, this transformation will lead to more stable and possibly lower electricity prices and it will guarantee energy and climate security in Europe and beyond.
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The Need for a Strategic Participatory Planning
Careful strategic and participatory planning is needed to realise new grid infrastructure to meet the electricity needs of the next decades and systematically address public concerns. Political and public support is key to realise this transformation. Strong political leadership is needed to engage with the general public and address the legitimate concerns of people being affected by new grid development. In particular safety concerns have to be addressed systematically and in a transparent way so that this essential infrastructure can be realised timely to deliver benefits to all.
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Partners of the Renewables-Grid-Initiative
The challenges we are facing in the field of security of supply and climate protection can only be addressed by actors across different sectors of society. A broad-based alliance of science, businesses and NGOs can support governments and parliaments to make the necessary decisions in a transparent way. The Renewables-Grid-Initiative brings together non-governmental organisations (NGOs), including WWF and Germanwatch and transmission system operators (TSOs) including 50Hertz, Elia, National Grid, RTE, Swissgrid, and TenneT. The grid infrastructure of the participating TSOs in the RGI provides the backbone of the existing power supply to some 240 million people in Europe, about half its population.
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Renewable Energy Storage
If Europe wishes to ensure both future energy security and the transition to a low-carbon energy system, new cross-border grid investments must proceed expeditiously to connect new renewable supplies with the major centres of demand, and to connect both supply and demand to existing and new sources of energy storage (e.g., the Nordic and Alpine hydroelectric systems). The Renewables-Grid-Initiative advocates greater investment in research and development of storage technologies and development of storage sites that can enhance dispatchability of renewable electricity.
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Renewable Power for Future Cars
Smart investments can accelerate a transition towards a low-carbon economy, while creating jobs and further developing Europe's competitive advantage in clean technologies.
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Launch Press Conference
On 3 July 2009, the Renewables-Grid-Initiative officially announced its initial partners û WWF, Germanwatch, Vattenfall (now called: 50Hertz) and TenneT, at a press conference at the Bundespresseamt in Berlin, Germany. The initial partners signed the RGI Memorandum of Understanding and thereby started to cooperate for 100% grid integration of renewable energies.
view the press release, 14 statements and the Memorandum of Understanding ››
Critical Infrastructure
Key to the transformation of the power sector is the availability of a grid infrastructure that enables the transmission of electricity from production to consumption and storage areas. Renewable energy sources are abundant and vary, but they are most available in remote areas where demand is low and economic activities scarce. Grid overhead lines and underground cables allow us to do this. It is necessary to make better use of the existing grid, and it is crucial to enable the development of this key infrastructure to become more flexible and integrated at a European level in order to meet evolving energy and environmental needs.
Picture: © National Grid
Strategic Participatory Planning
Strategic Participatory Planning (ENTSO-E map). A key mission of the Renewables-Grid-Initiative is to create a broadly accepted vision of the future grid architecture. RGI will work as a platform for experts and stakeholders to bring clarity in key aspects of the grid debate. Based on planning activities of partners such as ENTSO-E, RGI will contribute to developing a common vision of the required future grid architecture, by discussing questions such as:
- How can we plan and construct a grid which is suitable to meet long-term energy and climate targets?
- Studying the EU-wide scenarios for the energy system development 2050 (generation and demand concepts) and the related grid layout.
- How can the grid development anticipate on these scenarios while considering already existing EU-scenarios?
Picture: © ENTSO-E
Keeping the Lights On
The Renewables-Grid Initiative confirms the economic and technical possibility of building a power system largely relying on renewable sources while maintaining system reliability and stability, provided the necessary grid developments can be performed in due time. TSO's are responsible for maintaining the electricity transmission system and guaranteeing permanent power supply. NGO's contribute with their expertise in safeguarding social and nature conservancy interests. The Renewables-Grid-Initiative provides them the dialogue platform for making sure this essential infrastructure is realised timely to deliver benefits to all.
Picture: © Swissgrid 2010
Antonella Battaglini, RGI
"New thinking and new alliances are required to meet the challenges posed by increasing energy needs and climate change. Thanks to science and technology we have seen years of extraordinary development, but we have also created problems which we urgently need to solve. Our energy system needs to be transformed and become largely based on renewable energy sources. A large consensus across society is necessary for this transformation to take place. NGOs have a key role in representing general public long term interests, in supporting necessary infrastructure expansions and in contributing to the political process to develop clear, long term mechanisms and regulations. The transmission operators have a central role in planning and implementing the future grid architecture in full consideration of the decarbonisation requirements set by the 2050 targets. The Renewables-Grid Initiative sets the ground for speeding up investments in grid infrastructure, to fully integrate renewable energy sources wherever they are produced and whenever they become available, in full recognition of environmental concerns. A clear framework for tailored investments in grid expansion will enable simultaneously large renewable expansion projects, which substantially contribute to the 2020 and 2050 targets, while stimulating the economy."
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Stakeholder Dialogues
A key mission of the Renewables-Grid-Initiative is to create a broadly accepted vision of the future grid architecture. RGI will work as a platform for experts and stakeholders to bring clarity in key aspects of the grid debate. RGI will address questions such as:
- What is the role of the electric grid in the expansion of renewable energy sources?
- Which appropriate technologies should be applied and what are the respective advantages and disadvantages of overhead/underground and AC/DC lines?
- How can pumped storage capacities around Europe be best accessed to balance variable power sources such as wind?
- How does the grid of a reliable and decarbonised power system look like?
Pan-European Solutions
The electricity sector has to change rapidly because the European renewable energy targets foresee an almost doubling of renewable electricity to about 35% between now and 2020 and an increase to 80% by 2050. Bulk renewable power plants such as concentrated solar power plants in the Mediterranean area and offshore power parks in the North sea are considered as potential parts of the solution. The Renewables-Grid-Initiative considers that the green power system of the future requires pan-European approaches and plans, long-term visions and plans and rapid effective implementation.
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Christoph Bals, Germanwatch
"We will only reach the necessary reduction of CO2 emissions by a massive extension of local renewable energies on the one hand and cross-regional renewable energy resources on the other hand. The expansion of the grid is therefore essential. By following such a strategy - combined with remarkable progress in energy efficiency - we can avoid dangerous climate change and keep global average temperature rise below the science based danger threshold of 2OC above pre-industrial times. The fast expansion of grid structure and renewable energies allows us to fight jointly against the climate crisis, the economic crisis and the imminent energy crisis."
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