Supergrid is the only way to optimise the energy mix in Europe, integrate renewable energy and achieve 2030 EU climate and energy goals, says new report from Friends of the Supergrid (FOSG) a group that aims influence the policy and regulatory framework required to enable a European Supergrid.
The report - Supergrid preparatory phase: review of existing studies and recommendations - reviews existing literature addressing the design of a European Supergrid and proposes recommendations to move forward.
"The report reinforces the need for an EU single electricity market underpinned by significant amounts of interconnection to deliver 2030 climate and energy goals," says FOSG. The report concludes, however, that "a lot of work to move towards a decarbonised power sector has been done, but much is still to be done in order to put into reality the concept of Supergrid."
In its report, FOSG finds that although several existing studies address specific issues such as greenhouse gas targets modelling, scenarios envisaging a substantial share of RES generation or a full decarbonisation of the European power system, a thorough investigation dealing with all topics to foster implementation of the Supergrid is still missing.
FOSG said that several studies tackle the cost-benefit analysis associated to the new transmission infrastructures, but not in a "comprehensive way covering all the market, technical and environmental indicators." The same can be applied to the evaluation of the cross-border cost allocation.
"Supergrid will require a European regulatory framework to deliver a fair allocation of investments costs and to allow cross-border balancing," FOSG said, adding that the introduction of pan-European mechanisms for cross-border balancing coordinated with the day-ahead and infra-day power markets is "an urgent action that needs to be addressed now with the highest priority."
The impact of a significant amount of new renewable generation on the dispatching of current generation, and on the use of storage needs also requires further analysis at an EU level, according to the report.
FOSG comprises 20 companies that 'have a mutual interest in promoting and in?uncing the policy and regulatory framework required to enable a European Supergrid'. Its members include ABB, Alstom, GE, Siemens, National Grid and French electricity transmission system operator RTE.
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