Date: 27 April 2010

European grid companies from Belgium, France, UK, and Switzerland, Elia, RTE, National Grid, and Swissgrid respectively, have joined the Renewables-Grid-Initiative (RGI) that is pleased to welcome them and looks forward to counting on their support and professional experience to tackle the future challenges.

In their economic analyses on the options for a decarbonised power sector in Europe by 2050, McKinsey and the European Climate Foundation confirm the technical, economic and security based feasibility of 40, 60, 80 as well as 100% renewable electricity scenarios in Europe by 2050. It is seconded by a similar study by PricewaterhouseCoopers showing that the complete shift towards 100% renewable electricity in Europe is economically and technically feasible while keeping the lights on. However, both reports identify the urgent need for a substantive increase in transmission capacity to integrate large amounts of clean renewable energy sources.

The Renewables-Grid-Initiative welcomes the analysis provided by both studies and confirms the 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. The electricity sector has to change rapidly if we want to reach the European renewable energy targets – an almost doubling of renewable electricity to about 35% between now and 2020. This transformation will induce considerable challenges for transmission system operators (TSOs) and investors in the current regulatory situation. RGI strongly encourages the best possible use of the existing grid and recognises the need for a strategic participatory planning effort to win public and political support for critical grid expansion.

Date: 03 July 2009

Renewables-Grid-Initiative brings together NGOs and TSOs and announces initial partners

Europe needs a better electricity grid for renewables. It is necessary to:

- Fully integrate localised and decentralised renewable supplies

- Fully integrate large-scale offshore wind and concentrated solar power

- Facilitate the possibility to recover investments in both high voltage DC and AC lines

- Deploy innovative and smart grid technologies to foster energy conservation potentials

The Renewables-Grid-Initiative (RGI) promotes the expansion of distributed and bulk renewable energy generation and transmission capacity in Europe. To reach this target, the initiative brings together non-governmental organisations (NGOs) and transmission system operators (TSOs). For the first time, WWF, Germanwatch, Vattenfall Europe Transmission and Tennet join forces for a common cause.

A large-scale integration of renewable energy sources is deemed necessary to reach the European targets of 20 percent renewable energy by 2020 translating into about 35 percent renewable electricity and to comply further with the 2050 targets of cutting global climate pollution by at least 80 percent. However, a considerable expansion of renewable electricity into the European grid can only be achieved by upgrading and expanding transmission capacity. New strategic interconnections will be required to transport renewable electricity from remote locations to consumption centres. The Renewables-Grid-Initiative demands a new mandate for energy regulators to enable the development of a European grid architecture capable of rapidly and efficiently transmitting renewable energies. 

Smart grid development is an essential precondition for substantive renewable energy integration for both decentralised renewables and large scale wind and solar power. At a time of serious economic distress and mounting pressure to address the widespread environmental, economic, and geopolitical consequences of our excessive reliance on fossil fuels, the case for sustainable investments in renewable energy generation and the transmission grid has never been stronger. 

The representatives of the four initial partners WWF, Germanwatch, Vattenfall Europe Transmission and Tennet signed a Memorandum of Understanding during the press conference on 3 July 2009 in Berlin.